Jets training camp 2026: Back on the field

Garrett Wilson wants meaningful football this winter

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Things feel different for Jets receiver Garrett Wilson right now. He believes this can be “a special year” for the Jets.

Wilson’s optimism stems from the changes in the locker room. He specifically mentioned the arrival of veterans Demario Davis, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Geno Smith and Tim Patrick, their past experiences being on successful teams and the influence they’re having on the Jets, who have averaged 4.5 wins over the four seasons Wilson has been with the team.

“They don't have any past association with the last, maybe blunders we’ve had,” Wilson said. “And because of that, they're bringing this winning mindset, winning energy, that us as the younger guys are looking up to guys like that, we're trying to just latch onto and get a better idea of what it takes to win at that level because they've done it before.”

The goal for Wilson, back after missing 10 games last season, is to “play some meaningful football into the winter.” Wilson thinks this could be the year.

“I believe we got the pieces in place that'll get us playing that meaningful football in December, which I’ve dreamed of doing for a long time,” Wilson said. “Playing on that high level when it means a lot, I’m excited to get back to that.”

Enagbare solves the two Kingsley problem. Just call him JJ.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - Edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare goes by “JJ,” a nickname given to him by his mother when he was child. The moniker came from the cartoon: Jay Jay The Jet Plane.

“I’m a Jet, so it all worked out,” said Enagbare, a former Packer.

The nickname should prevent some potential confusion in defensive meetings and in the locker room. The Jets have another Kingsley on the team: edge rusher Kingsley Jonathan.

Enagbare said he had only met one other Kingsley in his life, and this is the first time he has one as a teammate.

“I definitely had to go by JJ,” Enagbare said. “One of us had to take a nickname.”

Enagbare said in the first team meeting, a coach said Kingsley, and “both of us raised our hand. It was one of those awkward moments.”

JJ (the Jet) it is.

Hammies, calves and PUPs: Today's Jets injury updates

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Some injury news and updates from the first day of training camp:

Rookie corner D’Angelo Ponds did not practice due to a calf issue that Aaron Glenn said not to look “too much into that.” Defensive tackle Mazi Smith has a hamstring injury.

Glenn also said edge rusher Joseph Ossai, who was placed on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform List, should be off of it “very soon.” And that defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat (Non Football Injury List) has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but Glenn said it’s not serious.

“He’ll be fine too,” Glenn said. “We’re going to make sure we monitor that very well.”

Jets moving forward with Geno

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Jets officials reiterated after the first training camp practice that Geno Smith is their quarterback.

GM Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn are not dwelling on Smith’s encounters with law enforcement in Florida during the offseason. On Tuesday, Smith said he hates that he was a “distraction” and he addressed it with Mougey, Glenn and some of his teammates. Like Smith, the Jets are moving forward.

“I think he did a really good job of the awareness part of it,” Glenn said. “First understanding that, we built a lot of momentum in OTAs and coming out of OTAs and man, the distraction happened. And I know he hated that he was a part of that, but the thing about it is behind him. It's behind him. And we're all moving forward. He talked to me, he talked to some of his teammates and we’re with him 100%. And we're moving forward.”

Mougey was asked if he was disappointed in what happened with Smith. Mougey said, “I'm excited about moving forward. Glad that's behind us. It is behind us, and I'm excited for the continued growth through the offseason and training camp.”

Mougey speaks

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Jets general Darren Mougey made a surprise appearance and held an impromptu news conference after the first day of camp Wednesday.

Mougey said everyone has high expectations for the season, but he wouldn’t offer a victory total and say anything playoff-related when asked what a successful season would be.

“We always, we want to win,” Mougey said. “I want to see these guys compete and get better every single day. That's starting today throughout training camp and throughout the season.”

Later, Mougey added, “I think we all have high expectations for ourselves. That’s players, that’s coaches, myself included.”

The Jets made it a point to add proven veterans in Demario Davis, Geno Smith and Minkah Fitzpatrick in the offseason. Mougey likes the mix of players the Jets have now.

“I like where the roster is at,” Mougey said. “We got a good blend of young guys, and what we believe is the right mix of veterans and the right veterans to help kind of hold some of these young guys and change the culture, and I'm excited to see how the roster could kind of take shape and training camp.”

The ol' fist to the face

How does this sound for first day of work at the office: A smack in the ribs, followed by a punch in the face?

Welcome to a wide receiver's first day of NFL training camp as the Jets begin preparing for the upcoming season. Watch the video below from Newsday's Tom Rock to see what is a very common drill for wideouts.

Passing stats from first part of first practice

The first play of team periods during the first practice of camp was a Geno Smith handoff to Breece Hall.

Smith completed 3 of 6 passes during the competitive portion of camp. On one pass attempt, he was under pressure from rookie edge rusher David Bailey. Smith just dumped it in the dirt.

Rookie Cade Klubnik, who is in line for the backup job, was 2-for-4 with an interception -- a rarity for the Jets. They had none last year. Mykal Walker picked off a pass that bounced off intended receiver Malik McClain.

In 7-on-7, Smith completed 4 of 5 passes. There could have and probably should have been a defensive penalty on Brandon Stephens on the one incompletion, a long pass to Adonai Mitchell

Klubnik was 3-for-4 and he should have been 4-for-4. Arian Smith dropped a deep pass over the middle.

Welcome to Jets training camp

Do the Jets even lift, bro?

A new player performance center is being built at the Jets' practice facility in Florham Park. In the meantime, here's a look at the team's temporary weight room: 

Breece Hall and the Jets' 'organizational stability'

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Breece Hall uttered two words that are not often used to describe the Jets: organizational stability.

Hall is entering his fifth season with the Jets and became one of the richest running backs in the offseason, signing a three-year $45.75 million extension. Hall has had three head coaches and is on his fifth offensive coordinator. The Jets have missed the playoffs for 15 consecutive years. But Hall likes the direction of the team under GM Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn and the makeup of the roster.

“I just feel like in the past, we've had a lot of craziness and turmoil and stuff, a lot of switch over, turnover,” Hall said. “I feel like now with the guys we brought in and the people we have, coaches we have, the change of the staff, and upstairs and through our coaching staff, I just feel like it's a lot more organizational stability, which helps the players because I feel like the players are only going to be as good as the organization is. You can't have good players and not have a stable organization and still have a good team.”

Hall has played with future Hall of Famers Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, but he now feels the Jets have a “complete offense.” The reason for that is they have more talent and depth at all skill positions.

“I feel like this is a year of us having a complete offense and not just with star power, but team-wise and with the pieces around us in the offense,” Hall said. “I feel like this is a year of not only having guys with names but also having a team aspect of organizational stability. So this year it feels very, very, stable. It feels like we have our people here. So it's definitely a positive.”

Geno ready to hit the ground running with his new teammates

When Geno Smith leads the Jets onto the practice field for the first workout of training camp on Wednesday morning all eyes will be on him. He’s the quarterback, he’s the former Jet returning home, and he’s the headliner. Everyone from the media to the players will be looking to him for signals on what to expect this season.

But he obviously can’t be watching himself. So on the eve of that first real practice of his second stint with the Jets, Newsday asked Smith who he was most looking forward to watching when the whistle finally blows to kick things off.

“All of the guys,” he said, which is obviously a bit of a veteran cop out before he started dropping specific names. “Facing Demario (Davis) and matching wits with him on the field. Bringing the offense together. All of us developing as players together and pushing each other to get better.”

He was also asked about his relationship with Garrett Wilson, the player who will undoubtedly be his new go-to receiver.

“It’s been great,” he said. “I think the world of Garrett. I’ve followed his career since he was at Ohio State. I think he is a great receiver and a tremendous person. His work ethic, his talent speaks for itself. I look forward to building with him but with all the guys.”

Smith did get together with many teammates for workouts in Florida during the past month or so since the offseason program wrapped up in mid-June.

“We trained on and off the field, we hung out,” he said. “We did what teammates do. Some of it was posted online, some of it wasn’t. But I really feel like we made some progress in the last few weeks and I look forward to seeing how we can build on that.”

Wilson was there, Smith said, although those reps were among the parts NOT posted publicly.

“We got some work in and we were able to do some things,” Smith said.

Starting Wednesday morning, they’ll finally be able to do even more.

Breece Hall and the four players he thinks can carry the Jets' offense

Breece Hall is one of the key players the Jets are counting on to carry them to success this season. But who is Breece Hall counting on to help him?

He named four when asked what excited about the offense, saying that they should allow the Jets to find “explosive plays”… and interestingly enough none of them are Geno Smith, Garrett Wilson, or even himself.

“AD Mitchell, Kenyon Sadiq, Mason Taylor, Braelon Allen,” Hall said. “Those are the four. If we get those guys rolling I think the offense is going to be really good.”

Mitchell is in his first training camp with the Jets having arrived in the midseason trade that sent Sauce Gardner to the Colts last year. Sadiq is a play-making rookie tight end the Jets selected in the first round in April (he missed most of the spring after undergoing hernia surgery but is expected to be ready for this training camp). Taylor is a second-year tight end who head coach Aaron Glenn also pegged early in the offseason as a guy he expects to make a huge jump. And Allen is a fellow running back with Hall who is coming back from knee surgery.

Of course having Geno and Garrett and Breece producing at full tilt will help, too, but it was interesting that Hall tapped some unexpected names as the most critical components to this season. It leans into the whole “under the radar” vibe the Jets have been enjoying and embracing.

“This is a year for us not only having guys with names but having a team around us with organizational stability,” Hall said. “It feels like we have our people here.”

PUPdate: Tim Patrick and Joseph Ossai

The Jets moved WR Tim Patrick to the active roster and placed edge rusher Joseph Ossai on the active/physically unable to perform list.

Patrick is a 6-5 target who was placed on PUP last week but was cleared to return. He has been in the league since 2017 (although he missed all of 2022 and 2023 due to injury) and signed with the Jets as a free agent on a one-year deal in the spring.

Ossai was a third-round pick for the Bengals in 2021 who had a career-high 5.0 sacks in Cincy in both 2024 and 2025. His injury was undisclosed at the time of the announcement.

Quick hits from Day 1 at the podium: Geno, Breece

- Geno Smith said he hates that some of his offseason legal issues may have been a distraction and took away from the positive energy from the OTAs. Smith said he spoke to GM Darren Mougey, head coach Aaron Glenn and some veterans about the situations and he looks forward to moving forward.

- Breece Hall said he likes the fact that the Jets are flying under the radar. He believes this is the most “complete” offense the Jets have had and he feels they’re in a “stable” place. “It feels like we have our people here," Hall added.

The rookies are here

Here's a look at some young human beings wearing regular clothing walking into a building. Ordinarily, nothing exciting to report. But when the context is that it's the first day of Jets training camp, there's a little bit more anticipation.

Jets staying home again

While the Giants will hold training camp at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia for the next few weeks, the Jets are again staying home for camp.

The Jets have mostly stayed close to home for training camp over the past 58 years. The team held training camp at Hofstra in Hempstead from 1968-2008. The Jets then moved to SUNY Cortland from 2009-10 and then again from 2012-14.

Training camp was held at the team facility in Florham Park in 2011 and has been there since 2015.

4 positional battles to keep an eye on

It’s report day for Jets veterans. Aaron Glenn will hold his first training camp practice on Wednesday morning. Here are some positional battles to keep an eye on:

Backup QB: Geno Smith is the undisputed starter. Rookie Cade Klubnik has a chance to win the backup job over Bailey Zappe and Brady Cook with a good camp and preseason.

RB2: Braelon Allen was Breece Hall’s backup last year until he suffered a knee injury in Week 4. Allen and Isaiah Davis will compete for the job this camp.

Slot corner: Rookie D’Angelo Ponds and Jarvis Brownlee will battle for this spot. It could be rotational since versatile safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will play some nickelback.

Kicker: Jason Sanders and Cade York are fighting for the job held by Nick Folk last year. Sanders, a former All-Pro with Miami, is the more proven kicker.