Rich CiminiSep 14, 2025, 08:00 PM

CloseRich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A look at what’s happening around the New York Jets:

1. Perfect attendance: It’s much too early to stamp the 2025 draft class as a success or failure, but it’s already unique in this respect: All seven draft picks played in the season opener, a franchise first in the era of the seven-round draft (since 1994).

Right tackle Armand Membou (64 snaps) and tight end Mason Taylor (56) led the way in front-line roles — hardly a surprise.

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The rest of the class contributed mainly on special teams, although wide receiver Arian Smith, safety Malachi Moore, linebacker Kiko Mauigoa and defensive end Tyler Baron did see action on a handful of plays from scrimmage. The only one to play exclusively on special teams was cornerback Azareye’h Thomas.

Disclaimer: This doesn’t mean the class is destined for greatness. So much of rookie playing time is based on roster composition. The Jets are in the midst of a youth movement, creating opportunities.

That said, the Jets have majored in rebuilds over the years, and yet this was the first time that every draft pick contributed in Week 1, which is certainly noteworthy. They came close in 2022 (the Sauce Gardner–Garrett Wilson draft), with six of the seven picks active in the opener.

Membou garnered praise for his debut — no sacks allowed, one quarterback pressure and no penalties. He was particularly happy with his performance against T.J. Watt, the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ star edge rusher.

“I think I played pretty solid,” said Membou, drafted seventh. “I had good run blocking. When I had my one-on-ones with [Watt], I was able to win them.”

Membou apparently overcame a serious case of pregame jitters, according to quarterback Justin Fields, who said he and linebacker Quincy Williams were able to calm the rookie’s nerves on the eve of the game.

The rookie to watch in the coming weeks is Moore, whose role could be expanded if safety Tony Adams (three missed tackles) doesn’t tighten up his game.

New York Jets rookie offensive tackle Armand Membou held his own against T.J. Watt in the season opener. Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire

2. New reality: Even though coach Aaron Glenn said he wasn’t trying to send a message, the decision to release wide receiver/returner Xavier Gipson after a costly fumble certainly showed that he’s trying to raise the accountability level.

This was an issue in 2024, according to one player, who remarked at the end of last season: “Accountability was definitely the weak point of our team.” The player said there was a “lack of consequences” for those who messed up.

Glenn is changing that.

“He made a lot of great plays for us, but the expectation here is to do your job,” Wilson said of Gipson. “And that’s the reality of this sport we play. It was obviously tough for some of us to see that, but it’s part of the game. The stakes are high. With that, I don’t want anyone to see this and take it the wrong way. That’s just what’s being asked of us from our staff.”

In some respects, Gipson was an easy cut. He barely made the 53-man roster coming out of the preseason, and he had no guaranteed money in his contract, meaning the salary cap ramifications were minimal.

3. Life after X: Without Gipson, the Jets must break in a new punt returner and kickoff returner. On Sunday, they face the Buffalo Bills, who acquired their return specialist from the Jets.

Remember Brandon Codrington? He was terrific in the 2024 preseason for the Jets, but they traded him to the Bills because they didn’t think he was better than Gipson. Now Codrington is one of the best returners in the NFL.

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4. Poetry in motion? First-time offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand is hoping to build off an impressive debut: 32 points and 394 total yards. Jets OCs aren’t accustomed to putting up those kinds of numbers in any game, let alone the first one.

The last one to reach 30 points and 300 yards in his Jets debut was Chan Gailey in 2015 (31 points, 333 yards). That was four coordinators ago. Tony Sparano’s first game in 2012 was a smashing success (48 points, 384 yards), but things went south, and the Jets finished 28th in scoring that season.

Engstrand used a creative running scheme, heavy on pre-snap motion. They used some form of motion on 73% of all plays — the seventh-highest rate in Week 1, per Next Gen Stats. More importantly, the plays worked. They averaged twice as many yards per play with motion (7.4) compared with no motion (3.7). Three of the four touchdowns came on motion plays.

This is a significant uptick from last season (54%), when the offense was criticized for being stale and predictable. Former quarterback Aaron Rodgers never was a fan of pre-snap motion.

5. Big bang is back: Engstrand said the goal is at least eight “explosive” plays per game, defined as a pass play of 16 or more yards and a run play of 12 or more yards. The team recorded 11 last week, the Jets’ most in a game since 2021.

6. Bonus money: Williams should have plenty of blitzing opportunities in the new, pressure-based defensive scheme — which could result in a nice bonus. He has a $375,000 incentive bonus for six sacks, $1 million for eight. Williams already has one sack.

But here’s the kicker: The team needs to make the playoffs to trigger the bonuses, according to Spotrac.

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7. Getting comfy: Recently acquired defensive tackle Harrison Phillips is receiving rave reviews from teammates and coaches, but he said he’s still adjusting to the Jets’ style of defense. Their scheme, he said, is “attack-react.” On his previous team, the Minnesota Vikings, it was “react-attack.”

That may not seem like much of a difference, but it’s an entirely different approach coming off the ball. Phillips said he felt “a little rusty” last week, but he expects to get more comfortable as he logs more reps.

8. Shotgun friendship: No one on the Jets knows Bills quarterback Josh Allen better than Phillips. (They were both drafted by the Bills in 2018.) Phillips described his close friend as the ultimate competitor, saying Allen wanted to win at everything they did off the field — cards, fishing, archery, you name it.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever beaten him in anything,” Phillips said. “Even calling ‘shotgun’ to a car, I never beat him.”

9. On the hot seat? Cornerback Brandon Stephens is looking to rebound from a shaky opener — five receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown as the nearest defender, plus a pass-interference penalty and a dropped interception.

The Jets gave him a $23 million guarantee as a free agent, so they’re not about to bench him, but the coaches want to see better awareness when the ball is in the air. That was the knock on him last season with the Baltimore Ravens.

“I’m still a big Brandon Stephens fan,” Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said.

10. The last word: The Bills have won five straight AFC East titles. Over that span, the Jets are 6-24 in the division — worst in the league. Enough is enough, according to Adams.

“It’s time to win the division,” the safety told ESPN. “It’s time for things to change. That’s what [Glenn] always preaches: It’s time for things to change.”