EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:1. Pick party in Music City? Coach Aaron Glenn and the Jets' leadership spent the better part of the last nine months trying to erase the bad vibes from 2025. As a result, there's a new quarterback, new playmakers, new playcallers and new leaders on both sides of the ball.But there's one thing that carried over from last season, one galling trend they can't wish away: the interception drought.Interceptions have been tracked for nearly 100 years, and the Jets became the first team to go an entire season without intercepting a pass. Nickelback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has a feeling the 17-game slump will end Sunday against Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans, his former team."It would be amazing to start off with one, from what we couldn't do last year," Brownlee told ESPN. "I think me and my guys, we're hungry. We want to put our showcase to the world and show what we're capable of, what we've been working on and how much work we've been putting in the offseason."I think we're going to get a takeaway, probably more than one [the] first week. It would be lovely to start off the season with a takeaway, something we couldn't do in 17 weeks."For the record, the Jets recorded only four takeaways in 2025 (all fumble recoveries), an all-time league low. To help remedy the problem, they traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has 21 interceptions in eight years -- tied for the ninth most over that span.It was emphasized throughout training camp and the preseason, with coaches highlighting the big plays (and the missed plays) in meetings. They made three interceptions in three preseason games, but all three came against backup quarterbacks. Now it's for real."It's definitely something you think about once the season gets going," said safety Dane Belton, aware of the drought when he left the New York Giants to sign with the Jets. "You think about plays you can make during the game, and it would be awesome to [get one in Week 1]. But you can't press. You can't go out of your way to make a play that's not yours."The pickings could be slim early in the year. The first four quarterbacks they face were among the top seven in lowest interception rate in 2025 -- Ward (third), Jordan Love (sixth), Jared Goff (seventh) and Caleb Williams (second).2. The atypical rookie: After an impressive summer, prized rookie David Bailey makes his eagerly awaited NFL debut. The second overall pick is expected to start in the base defense, but it will be on third down where he generates the most excitement.Bailey has a chance to be special as an edge rusher, something the Jets haven't had from a rookie in a long time. You have to go back to 2000, when Shaun Ellis recorded 8.5 sacks in his rookie season.For all his physical gifts, Bailey's professionalism is what strikes teammates the most. Instead of scrolling on social media during breaks in the day, he studies game tape and cut-ups of himself on his tablet, according to Harrison Phillips.Phillips once saw Bailey bypass an ice cream extravaganza in the team cafeteria. When asked why he skipped the delectable dessert, Bailey said he didn't want to mess up his "body composition," per Phillips.You might say Bailey cares more about Sundays than sundaes."In this world, it's very impressive to find a rookie who has the world as his oyster and a deep bank account and still wants to become a really good addition to this team," Phillips said.3. Adonai Mitchell, meet Garrett Wilson: The receivers were teammates for nine games last season, but they never got a chance to play together -- not a single snap. Wilson's knee injury was the reason.Mitchell expects big things out of the partnership."G can do it all, and that's the fun part about it, being able to share the field with a guy like that, who's able to be explosive and change the game," said Mitchell, acquired last season in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. "Now people look at you like, 'You have to pick it up or it's lopsided.'"4. Up in the air: Mitchell would love to reverse this trend. From Week 10 to the end of the season, he led the league with 579 incomplete air yards, per Next Gen Stats.5. Old bosses: Everybody knows the main storyline for this game -- Robert Saleh versus the Jets. History tells us the Jets haven't fared well against their former coaches -- a 9-11 record.The breakdown: 0-2 against Todd Bowles; 1-2 against Rex Ryan; 1-0 against Eric Mangini; 2-0 against Herm Edwards; 0-1 against Bill Parcells; 4-6 against Pete Carroll and 1-0 against Bruce Coslet.The most damaging loss was the 2015 season finale, when Ryan's Buffalo Bills knocked the Jets out of a playoff spot.6. Rolling with the rook: The decision to make Cade Klubnik the No. 2 quarterback has sparked considerable outside debate. It's certainly unusual.As of Friday, there were 13 rookie quarterbacks on NFL rosters. Of them, the only two listed as the No. 2 were Klubnik and the Las Vegas Raiders' Fernando Mendoza, the top overall pick.The last time the Jets opened a season with a rookie in that role was 2015, but there were extenuating circumstances. Bryce Petty, a fourth-round pick that year, was supposed to be the third-stringer, but he was bumped up to No. 2 because projected starter Geno Smith missed the first two games with a fractured jaw. Ryan Fitzpatrick assumed the starting job, held it for the entire season, and Petty never played a snap that season.They also began the season with untested backups in 2021 (Mike White) and 2013 (Matt Simms) -- both young vets with no playing experience. The opening-day starters were a couple of rookies, Zach Wilson and Smith, respectively. In 2021, they made an October trade for Joe Flacco, who provided veteran insurance.This year, they don't have that.7. No Cinderella stories: The Jets have a rich history of uncovering talent after the draft concludes. Players such as Wayne Chrebet, Victor Green, Brandon Moore, Snacks Harrison and Bryce Huff went from undrafted free agents to productive players.This year, none of their undrafted rookies made the 53-man roster. Very unusual.8. Your call, coach: Glenn will call the defensive plays this season, but that doesn't mean he will surrender the usual game-day responsibilities of the head coach. He will continue to make the big decisions -- timeout usage, fourth downs, replay challenges, etc.Glenn said he will receive input from others, adding, "At the end of the day, it's my decision to make, and I understand that."9. Still green: The Jets added a handful of older players in the offseason, but the average age of the roster is 26.3 -- tied for the fifth youngest, per Spotrac.10. The last word: "He understands what it's like to be here, and he wants this as bad as anybody. He wants us to succeed, so he's more like, 'Hey, watch your cut-ups one more time.'" -- passing game coordinator Seth Ryan on whether he received fatherly advice from Rex Ryan during the run-up to the opener.
