FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveled to Florham Park, many New York Jets fans had hoped they would see major improvements from their team. Over the years, it felt like the team kept being overwhelmed in joint practices by the opposition.
New York may have been outplayed by Tampa Bay this week, but the Jets’ ability to compete was far greater than we have seen from the Jets over the last few years. Despite the outcome of each practice, fans should be more encouraged by what they saw against the Buccaneers as we get closer to the start of the regular season.
Three reasons specifically should give the team plenty to be happy about.
Defensive line looks good (even against the run)
It seems like every practice has David Bailey recording multiple sacks and pulling off some superb pass-rush wins. What we see throughout joint work with the Buccaneers, though, was his improvement against the run.
While the perception of Bailey has always been that of a struggling run defender, the Jets have to like what they have seen from a developmental perspective. He made numerous stops on Tampa Bay running backs that show his improvement.
Outside of Bailey, though, the last week has been a good stepping stone for the defensive line as well. Their run fits continue to be improved from last year, while also generating interior pressure through the work of Jowon Briggs and other tackles.
So long as the group continues to play well, the Jets’ defense will be significantly better than last year.
Offensive firepower
Over the last few years, there were many reasons why the Jets seemed to stumble on the offensive side of the ball. While the quarterback position and offensive line consistency left much to be desired, the skill talent around them simply hasn’t been good enough.
That all could change this year.
Outside of Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, the Jets’ offense has accumulated the most talent they have had in recent years. Mason Taylor, Adonai Mitchell and Isaiah Williams all played well in joint practice. First round rookies Omar Cooper Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq will also have a role on the unit throughout the year ahead.
Things will still be a work in progress, especially running a new offensive scheme to begin the year, but the Jets should be thrilled with how their talent looked through the week. They appear to be a team with plenty of firepower going into the new year.
An important experience
Tampa Bay may have missed the playoffs last season, but they still are a perennial contender with Baker Mayfield leading the way. More importantly, the Buccaneers’ blitz-heavy scheme has caused problems even for some of the elite units in the sport.
That’s what makes the last few days so important for the Jets. The offensive line, and offense in general, received significant experience when it comes to dealing with exotic blitzes and changes in the secondary. New York was not perfect throughout either day, but the experience the joint practices brought in will be huge for the team going forward.
Especially when they take on different styles of teams to begin the year.
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