2 Jets first-stringers in danger of losing starting jobs ahead of 2026 NFL season

The New York Jets are hoping to turn things around in 2026 after struggling badly for the last 10 years. The Jets have finished in last place in 7 of those seasons, including last year. That was the team’s first season with Aaron Glenn at head coach, and the former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator is under serious pressure to show significant improvement in 2026.

Does Jets management expect the team to turn it around and make the playoffs? Unlikely, but if Glenn wants to hold on to his job for another season, his team needs to avoid another last-place finish, and the Jets need to approach .500 for the season.

An optimist might look at the New England Patriots and the example they followed last year. They went from worst to first in the AFC East last year, and Glenn has to provide his players with an optimistic outlook as he prepares his team for the season opener against the Tennessee Titans.

The Jets are depending on Geno Smith to give them improved quarterback play over what they received a year ago from Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor. That seems like a reasonable assumption because Smith has proved to be a more accurate quarterback than his two predecessors by a wide margin.

Smith is a 12-year NFL veteran who started his career with the Jets. He spent four years with the team before moving on to four other teams. While he could not help the Las Vegas Raiders last year, his previous 3 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks were excellent. He was a Pro Bowl performer in 2022 and ’23, but his best season may have been in 2024 when he completed 407 of 578 passes for 4,320 yards with 21 TDs and 15 interceptions.

Several starting positions could be up for grabs

Smith is being pushed hard in training camp by rookie Cade Klubnik, but he should be able to hold on to his starting position as long as he can remain healthy.

However, when a team finishes with a 3-14 record the year before, there’s no such thing as a guaranteed position. Even a top receiver like Garrett Wilson or an outstanding strong safety like Minkah Fitzpatrick could be at risk if Glenn doesn’t like something he sees or a reserve comes from out of nowhere and excels on an every-day basis.

For the record, neither of those two players appear to be at risk, but Fitzpatrick’s secondary partner Andre Cisco appears to be quite vulnerable at free safety. He is listed as the starter over Dane Belton and Malachi Moore, but he has no assurances of keeping the position.

Cisco spent his first four season with the Jacksonville Jaguars before moving on to the Jets last season. He was not overly impressive as he 41 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery in 8 games last season. His season came to an end last year after tearing his pectoral muscle and suffering a shoulder injury. Cisco has not stood out in training camp to this point, and it will be difficult to change opinions.

Belton spent the last four seasons with the Giants and he is coming off a season in which he registered 120 tackles, had 1 interception, 5 passes defensed, forced 3 fumbles and had 2.0 sacks. He has looked sharp throughout training camp and has put himself in a good position to take the starting job away from Cisco.

Another secondary position that may be at risk is Nahshon Wright’s spot at cornerback. He signed with the Jets after an impressive season with the Chicago Bears that saw him intercept 5 passes and return 1 of them for a touchdown. He also had 80 tackles and 11 passes defensed while starting 16 games last season.

However, he is with a new team and in a new system. He is going to have to hold off second-year CB Azareye’h Thomas to hold on to the job. Glenn has said that he has been impressed with Thomas and his physical play, and that will make it tough for Wright to hold on to the job.

TE Mason Taylor will have to hold off Kenyon Sadiq

Taylor is the starting tight end, but the Jets drafted Sadiq with a first-round pick because they know he has a chance to be a potential superstar after his brilliant college career at Oregon. Sadiq had core muscle and hernia surgery in May, and he is making a recovery.

There is a chance that he could be ready when the Jets open the season at Tennessee, but it may take him a few weeks after that to get back to top speed.

Taylor caught 44 passes for 369 yards with a touchdown last year, and he should be a solid contributor in his second year in the NFL. However, it may be difficult to hold off the talented Sadiq as the season progresses.

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