The offseason always flows with eternal optimism. Everyone is 0-0, and hope is in the air.
For New York Jets fans, that has been a much safer place than the reality of a non-winning season in 14 out of the last 15 years. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report provided a brutal dose of reality by revealing the worst-case scenario for the Jets’ defense in 2026.
“The problem is that none of those newcomers are guaranteed upgrades. [David] Bailey is a rookie playing on a line where he may not get much help. [Demario] Davis is a 37-year-old linebacker. [Nahshon] Wright had never been a full-time starter until his career year in Chicago in 2025. [Minkah] Fitzpatrick is playing on his third team in as many years. The worst case for the Jets is those players not panning out—and another year having one of the league’s worst defenses,” Davenport wrote.
That Is an Uncomfortable Truth
The Jets’ defense stunk in 2025. It’ll be hard to be any worse in 2026.
However, the main characters in this defensive story have flaws. Davis is a straw that the Jets hope will stir the drink. He has only missed one game in his entire 14-year career to date because of injury, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
That’s a cool stat, but Father Time is undefeated. Davis is 37 years of age. The injury bug finally catching up to him in year 15 is totally within the realm of possibilities.
Bailey is a rookie. Some players can be instant impact guys immediately, and others take time to marinate.
Wright is a total wildcard. He could be a steal or just a random player in the league.
One of the key additions for the Jets’ defense was trading for Fitzpatrick. If he was so great, why did a division rival hand him to the Jets on a silver platter for a seventh-round pick? Did they do something stupid, or do they know something the Jets don’t?
He hasn’t had more than one interception in a single season in four years (2022). Some have argued it is because of the roles he was asked to play on those defenses. Others could say those are excuses.
Master at the Controls
If you want to keep the pessimism train rolling, head coach Aaron Glenn is set to call defensive plays in 2026.
He struggled last year just trying to fill the head coach role. Now you’re going to ask him to balance that and be the defensive play caller? That could be a recipe for disaster.
Glenn appeared over his head in multiple situations last year, including but not limited to: end-of-half scenarios, clock management, and substitution packages.
Maybe having months to figure out how to balance those balls in the air will benefit Glenn, but then again, maybe it won’t.
The good news is he can’t be worse than last year, but that bar isn’t set very high. There will be a magnifying glass on Glenn for how he performs in this role in 2026. It isn’t just numbers, Glenn also has to pass the eye test that he has some idea of what he is doing.
Analyst Reveals Doomsday Scenario for Jets Defense in 2026