Things are about to heat up at New York Jets training camp.
On Monday, July 28, the pads come on for the very first time. Ahead of that transpiring, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn delivered a message on what he is looking for from the players.
“Well, the physical part of it is one. I mean, that is just part of football. Then also you have to be smart because it’s one thing of just being physical it’s another thing being physical also being smart. So those are the things we’re looking for,” Glenn explained to the media.
HC Aaron Glenn told @eallenjets that he will be looking for two things from his players: physicality & intelligence.
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Prepare Yourselves, Injuries Are Inevitably Coming
Coach Glenn said it best: physicality is just part of football. Something else that goes hand in hand with that is injuries.
My old radio partner used to describe the NFL as a game that eats its young—a vivid image, but accurate.
When pads come on and we transition from essentially two-hand touch to tackle to the ground football, people are going to get hurt.
Glenn knows all about injuries.
At the end of last season, the Detroit Lions had 13 defensive players on injured reserve. That list was highlighted by three of their best players: Aidan Hutchinson, Carlton Davis, and Alim McNeill.
Despite those injuries, Glenn persevered.
“Most defenses would have cratered given all the injuries, but Glenn’s unit plugs along, like The Little Engine that Could, getting key stops, particularly in the red zone,” Kevin Patra of the NFL Media Group said.
“The Lions allowed the second-lowest completion percentage (61.1) and the lowest passer rating (82.0) in 2024. Glenn’s crew ranked tied for second in pass TDs allowed (18) and tied-fifth in INTs (16). The unit also finished fifth in rushing yards allowed per game (98.4) and tops in opponents’ third down conversion percentage (32.4),” Patra added.
Glenn has dealt with injuries before, so he has been there, done that. Fans just embrace they’re coming here in camp and just hope it isn’t many of the top guys.
Evaluation Stage Reaches a New Level
Throughout the spring and early portions of training camp, it is very difficult to evaluate trench players.
These players are in shells, and contact is limited by the NFL’s rules in 2025. Those change when the pads come on.
We can get true evaluations of offensive linemen versus defensive linemen. For the Jets, this is particularly important.
Depth at the defensive end and the defensive tackle positions is questionable for the green and white. This is an opportunity for some of those unheralded players to step up to the plate.
The Jets need to find a starter at DT opposite Quinnen Williams.
Gang Green doesn’t necessarily need a starter at defensive end, but they at least need someone to legitimately push Micheal Clemons, who is currently the third most prominent guy in the room behind Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson.
New NFL Drill Will Get Tested at Jets Camp at Full Power
During Saturday’s training camp practice, Jets head coach Aaron Glenn revealed a new drill that took everyone by storm.
“Glenn introduced a new drill: one-on-one tackling in the open field. It was more like wrapping up instead of real tackling — they weren’t in pads — but it was something the Jets hadn’t done in a long time. It became an immediate crowd favorite, as ballcarriers tried their best open-field moves on defenders. Teams don’t do as much live tackling as they used to, but Glenn vowed to devote time to it later in camp,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini explained.
When the pads come on, the drill will remain. A new level of intensity is coming, and the Jets better be prepared for it.
EXCLUSIVE: Insider Shares Her Thoughts on Jets Camp
“They ran that very cool open field tackling drill, which I hadn’t seen. It was great, the fans loved it, the players seemed to love it, super high energy, intense, competitive, like he [coach Glenn] said, this is coming,” NFL Network’s Judy Battista told me on “Boy Green Daily.”
“You’ve got to be able to tackle, and you have to tackle in space. The pads come on Monday, so that was a good precursor to it. It was Garrett Wilson versus Sauce [Gardner], obviously, they are not tackling to the ground, it was mostly just sort of touching. Sauce got him on the boundary. He got to Garrett Wilson before he could make the break and turn upfield. So Sauce “won” that rep, and like the defense went bananas and the crowd went crazy. I loved the competitiveness of it,” Battista explained to me.
Jets HC Aaron Glenn Sends Clear Message as Pads Come On