The long wait for late July is finally over. After an eventful, celebrated offseason, returning players, new free agents, and draft picks all take the field to play football together for the first time. As a disclaimer, nothing from these first few days is a sure sign of things to come for the season… But here are some early takeaways for the offense from Jets training camp week one.
See Also: New York Jets Projected 53 Man Roster
Injury Prognosis: Excellent
The Jets have made a concerted effort to improve their injury status over last year’s training camp. Just one week in, that seems to be paying off. The Jets announced Tuesday that three key players had been taken off of the PUP list; OT Mekhi Becton, TE CJ Uzomah, and DE Carl Lawson are all ready to roll. To make things even better, OT George Fant came off the following day. These four starters are all major contributors for the Jets, and their availability now hopefully means they will have a full training camp of participation.
There are only three players who are still currently on an injury list of some type. TE Jeremy Ruckert is on the Active/NFI list due to a foot injury he suffered at the Senior Bowl. His timetable is unclear, and it was reported by Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors that it is plantar fasciitis. RB Tevin Coleman is also on the Active/NFI list resulting from an undisclosed offseason injury, away from the team. The only other Jet currently injured is OT Greg Senat, who is on the Reserve/NFI list, also undisclosed. While it has only been one week, it is encouraging that no player has suffered a new injury in camp.
The Breakdown
Quarterbacks
Zach Wilson has had an up and down camp so far, but the most positive takeaway for him seems to be his bounce back ability. It seems that after almost every red zone interception, he hits a receiver for a touchdown. Training camp is never going to be perfect, but it is a proving ground for mental toughness. If Wilson is going to shake off mistakes or bad breaks in-game, he’s going to have to do it in practice first. Overall, optimism is very high regarding the former second overall pick. Additionally, Joe Flacco has been getting quite a bit of praise for his play so far in camp. Who would have thought early takeaways from Jets training camp would have featured hype for 37 year old Flacco?
Day 2 is over. Rough day for the O-Line but I thought Zach Wilson had a solid day passing the ball. #Jets
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) July 28, 2022
Wide Receivers
A few players have made their presence felt already, some as expected and some as a surprise. The receiver group has taken turns producing some highlight catches, particularly Denzel Mims and Garrett Wilson. Mims’ first day of practice was excellent, as he reeled in a number of acrobatic receptions. Although that was his best day, he also had a toe tapping sideline catch on Saturday. Wilson seems to be heating up day by day, because after a quiet first practice he has consistently flashed. Corey Davis and Elijah Moore have both been reported to have made an impact so far. They have been praised for their routes and separation. Braxton Berrios made his return to full practice on Saturday as well.
Garrett Wilson with a real nice catch over the middle on a ball from Wilson. Then a nifty catch-and-run on a Flacco pass. Garrett Wilson stealing the early show. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) July 30, 2022
Running Backs
The running backs are harder to evaluate this week. Pads come on beginning Monday of next week, and all running backs look good early in training camp. It’s not until the the physicality of padded practice that you can really start to see how they press the line and hit their holes. The good news is that both Michael Carter and Breece Hall have looked good in the passing game to this point. Hall was reported to have made an excellent one handed catch in team drills.
Breece Hall is going to have a big season as long as #Jets can keep games close. Impossible not to see he’s different #Jets
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) July 29, 2022
Tight Ends
The additions at tight end were a major storyline for the Jets this offseason. No one will mistake Uzomah or Tyler Conklin for superstars, but their presence means Wilson will have reliable outlets to spread the ball around. So far, that’s exactly how it looks. Once padded practices begin, their impact in the run game will become more apparent. As training camp goes on, the tight end focus will be on how well they create space for the running backs, and how consistent they can be as the second and third options for Wilson.
Zach Wilson is 4-of-5 passing through the first two sets of of 12 v 12 team drills. He’s done a nice job spreading the ball around: Garrett Wilson, C.J. Uzomah, Tyler Conklin all with catches. Lone incompletion was a Conklin drop. #Jets
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) July 27, 2022
Offensive Line
Although Fant is off PUP and officially the Left Tackle, he is still working back to full participation. The Jets’ current line features its expected starters plus Chuma Edoga at LT until Fant is back. Although the pass rush has made its mark so far in camp, the offensive line has been improving. Similarly to the running backs, there really isn’t a quality takeaway from the team drills until pads come on. The best news however, is that Becton’s condition and strength has gotten better day by day in camp. With Fant slated to return to practice on Monday, it will be interesting to see what the full slate of starters can do in pads.
Saleh praises Mekhi Becton’s practice. Said he had a good day today and is getting stronger.
— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) July 29, 2022
See Also: Early Takeaways from Jets Training Camp: Defense