Jets Otas Notes: New Staff Saw 100 Percent Attendance, Plus Thoughts On Justin Fields

The Jets wrapped up their first media-open organized team activity on Wednesday. 

Here are a few takeaways from the practice. 

Attendance isn’t mandatory

Every coach says that before the start of the offseason program. Everyone wishes it was, though. That’s especially the case with a new staff. This is a chance to get on-field experience running the offense and defense. 

Good news for head coach Aaron Glenn: He said the Jets had 100 percent attendance on Tuesday and he believes they had the same on Wednesday. 

Quinnen Williams didn’t comment on past years' attendance, but said this was a good indicator of the “belief” the team has in the new staff. 

“We want to get this thing going,” he added. “We want to go in the right direction.” 

The new guy

All eyes were on Justin Fields. Understandably. Sure, he was in his underwear, as Glenn called it, but this was the first time to see the Jets' new quarterback doing football-like things on a football field. The downside: There isn’t too much to talk about with him off Wednesday. He looked solid in the seven-on-seven portion of practice. There is undeniable zip on his passes. He had two highlights (one to Garrett Wilson, another to Allen Lazard) in the deeper middle portion of the field between a few defenders. Very pretty. 

The full-team period didn’t go nearly as well. That’s nothing against Fields. The Jets endured pretty consistent protection breakdowns. This Jets defensive scheme is much more active than Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich’s. The front five had some issues diagnosing and picking it up. The defense sacked Fields on six of his 10 drop backs. Fields completed three of the other four. Two were dump-offs to Jeremy Ruckert. One was a short pass to Wilson. 

The miss was a little alarming. The Jets blitzed. Offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand dialed up a perfect beater that had Josh Reynolds open on a corner route without safety help. It seemed a pretty easy pitch-and-catch for a would-be long gainer (potential touchdown). Fields missed him pretty bad. 

It should be noted the weather outside was pretty cruddy. Low 50s, rainy, windy. Not ideal conditions for airing it out. 

A happy go-to receiver

Garrett Wilson is the type of player you want to build a team around. This isn’t about money for him. It’s not about the catches and the yards. The guy just wants to win. He takes every loss so personally. That’s what made these last three seasons so hard on him. It’s why so many around the league expected Wilson to request a trade this offseason. 

The Jets hired Glenn. The Jets signed Fields. The new culture and reuniting with his college quarterback seem to have Wilson in a much better headspace. He was giddy when he met the media on Wednesday -- a good sign for New York.

This offense will be run-oriented, but Glenn made it clear that feeding Wilson is a priority. They want to get him the ball “as much as possible.” Replacing Aaron Rodgers with Fields might go a long way in accomplishing that. Rodgers made it clear Davante Adams was the X and Wilson the No. 2 in 2024. Wilson said he and Fields have a unique way of understanding each other and what they’re looking for on the field. It’s constructive without being combative. 

Wilson is adamant Fields can be a very, very good NFL quarterback. He said he watched most of his games when he was with the Chicago Bears. There were more than a few times he watched his passes fall incomplete and thought to himself, “I would’ve caught that.” 

As for Wilson’s contract: The wideout said he’s not focusing on that at the moment, but is hopeful he can be a “Jet for life.” He added his representatives and the Jets have had conversations about a long-term extension, which Wilson is now eligible for. It would be wise for the Jets to lock Wilson up now. His price will only go up if he has the year many expect. 

A big(er) presence outside

Fields spent most of the 11-on-11 period running for his life. The player he ran from more times than not: Will McDonald. McDonald had (unofficially) four sacks by my count, including the final two of the drive-the-field portion of practice to end the drive. Armand Membou, as expected for a rookie, struggled against him. It will be fun watching the two go at it. The Jets have very high expectations for Membou. McDonald is coming off a breakout second season where he had 10.5 sacks. 

McDonald looked a little bit bigger on the field. There’s a reason for that. Glenn said he gained 15 pounds this offseason, weighing in a little over 245 pounds. That pleased the Jets quite a bit as they believe the added strength will help McDonald against bigger offensive linemen and in setting the edge. The Jets know how dominant McDonald can be rushing the quarterback, but in order to be a complete, every-down player, he needed to add to his frame. 

He’s done that. Based on his performance on Wednesday, it didn’t cost him any of his speed. 

Quick hits and tidbits

• Changes are expected whenever you have an entirely new front office and coaching staff take over. Players you believe are locks to start aren’t because this regime views them differently than the last. This Jets team will be no different. There will be open competitions at a number of spots. Guard John Simpson pointed one out when he met the media, highlighting how much Josh Myers and Joe Tippmann are going at it during the early portions of practice. 
• Third-year receiver Xavier Gipson, now rocking the No. 3 jersey, made a nice catch on the sideline in 7-on-7 drills. He moved around well. It was a quiet day for receivers Arian Smith and Malachi Corley. 
• Wideout Lazard ran a drag route early in practice in 7-on-7 drills. He had a step on rookie corner Azareye'h Thomas. That gap closed quickly. Lazard isn’t the fastest, but it was impressive to see Thomas’ closing speed. The ball never came Lazard’s way because the window evaporated. Brandon Stephens is expected to begin the season as the starter opposite Sauce Gardner, but there’s no reason Thomas can’t take that position from him. As Glenn said after practice: You can’t be afraid to play young players, something he learned during his time with the New Orleans Saints. 
• Kicker update! Greg Zuerlein is gone, so Anders Carlson and Caden Davis are competing for the job. Carlson went 4-for-5 on his attempts. He had a long of 55-plus. It was tough to tell the exact distance because the media watched practice from the patio on the opposite end zone. Davis went 3-for-4. Carlson has a bit more natural kicking motion. 
• Cool little addition: All quarterbacks have a GoPro-type camera attached to the top of their helmets. The Miami Dolphins made this popular a year ago with Tua Tagovailoa. Engstrand brought it to Florham Park.