NY Jets Friday camp takeaways: Justin Fields, offense shine

Reporting from the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, NJ

Finally.

Over the first couple of weeks of training camp, the New York Jets’ defense had won the majority of days against the new-look offense. Gang Green’s veteran-laden defense always seemed to be one step ahead of an offense that had a new system, quarterback, and skill players.

Until Friday, that is.

For the first time in camp, New York’s offense got the better of its talented defense.

That wasn’t the only takeaway from Florham Park, though. It’s time to break down some of the good (and bad) from Friday’s practice.

Jets’ Friday Takeaways

New York was in shells (just shoulder pads and helmets) throughout Friday’s practice, so there aren’t many physical takeaways to go over. Despite that, plenty of players stood out throughout the morning.

Let’s get to it.

Justin Fields Shines

It’s not exaggeration to say that Justin Fields put forth the best play of his short time with the Jets on Friday. New York’s starting quarterback was deadly accurate, had good anticipation, and was decisive with his reads.

His best throw of the day went to Garrett Wilson early during practice. The former Bear and Steeler stepped up in the pocket and delivered a timing throw to Wilson who was thrown open for a long reception.

Throwing receivers open is an important step for all young quarterbacks. It’s something Fields has struggled with early on in his career.

If he finds a way to play to the level he did on Friday, though, he will not only prove that the Jets made the right decision at quarterback, but also that he can be a quality starter moving forward.

Consistency will be key.

New York has been waiting to see evidence that it made the right decision at quarterback. If Fields can find some consistency over the next few weeks based on Friday’s practice, he’ll more than prove it.

Arian Smith Dominates

Plenty of receivers looked good on Friday, including Allen Lazard, Tyler Johnson, and tight end Mason Taylor.

None looked as good as Arian Smith did, though.

The Georgia product burned Sauce Gardner for a 50-yard pass during team drills that showed how dominant his speed could be at the NFL level. He also caught a touchdown later in practice where he burned a corner for six. These are the types of plays he continues to make throughout practices.

More importantly, Smith has not suffered many drops throughout camp – an Achilles’ heel of his when he was coming out of college. So far, though, it seems that Smith is earning more opportunities than the Jets may have expected.

And that is great news for their offense in 2025.

The Bad

As strong as New York’s passing attack looked during Friday’s practice, there was one major issue.

Penalties.

The Jets were penalized a lot on offense for pre-snap penalties, mostly for false starts. For the most penalized organization in football last year, the fact that they had as many false starts called on them today as they did is unacceptable and will need to be rectified.

Today was an ugly day for that.

Backup Turning Heads

Former fifth-round cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers won’t be competing for a starting role anytime soon, but it’s clear that he is doing whatever he can to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

During Friday’s practice, the CFL standout picked off a pass and was around the ball throughout the day of work. He seems behind the likes of Brandon Stephens, and even rookie corner AZ Thomas, but Stiggers has had an excellent camp so far.

Injury Update

New York did not escape without any injury concerns. Aaron Glenn announced that All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams would be out for a week or so as he deals with a calf injury. Left guard John Simpson missed time Friday with a back injury that could also keep him out “a week or two,” per Glenn.

Making matters worse in this situation is the fact that fourth-round rookie safety Malachi Moore is dealing with an oblique injury that could force him to miss some extra time.

Running back Braelon Allen did return to practice after missing Thursday’s work with a knee injury.