The wait is almost over. The Jets kick off the 2023 regular season Monday against the Buffalo Bills and there will be a lot of eyes watching their every move in this one to see how improved they truly are, especially on the offensive side of the football where Aaron Rodgers makes his big debut.
Here, we’ll quickly run through each position group on offense and highlight something to watch for each. Let’s start with the big man behind center.
Quarterback: Can Aaron Rodgers return to MVP form, or at least close to it?
Aaron Rodgers makes his highly-anticipated debut for the Jets Monday and the big question is can he get back, at least somewhat, to his old self? It’s no secret Rodgers’ numbers went down a good bit in 2022 but part of that can be credited to the Packers trading away Davante Adams and the rift between Rodgers and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. In the two seasons prior, Rodgers won back-to-back MVPs.
Rodgers obviously isn’t exactly a spring chicken anymore. He turns 40 years old in December. He may not truly be his old self anymore. But with how he has been attacking the offseason and really gelling with the rest of the offense, there’s no reason he can’t go back to having strong numbers. He has a chance to get off on the right foot as Buffalo is still figuring out how the middle of their defense is going to look and Rodgers won’t have Von Miller breathing down his neck. Rodgers should be able to operate against Buffalo’s defense and at least keep New York in the game if not outright win it.
Running Back: How will the Jets split the workload between Breece Hall and Dalvin Cook?
Dalvin Cook makes his Jets debut and Breece Hall plays his first game since tearing his ACL in Week 7 last season in Denver. How will the Jets split the workload between the two? Ian Rapoport of NFL Network believes Cook will get the “bulk of the carries” and for the Jets to be “smart” with Hall. So we could expect maybe at least say a 60/40, maybe 65/35 split to start in favor of Cook and then get closer to 50/50 as the weeks go on.
From @GMFB: The #Ravens lost JK Dobbins for the season, and DB Marcus Williams is feared to have suffered a significant injury, as well. Plus, how will the #Jets use their RBs? pic.twitter.com/CjixXVm5aO
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 11, 2023
Wide Receiver: How much can Aaron Rodgers raise the ceiling of Garrett Wilson?
With Aaron Rodgers throwing him the football, Garrett Wilson is now a good weekly bet as an anytime touchdown scorer (he’s +150 on BetMGM). But truly how high can Wilson go now with Rodgers as his quarterback? He had over 1,100 receiving yards as a rookie and that was with a mixed bag at quarterback, to say the least. He’ll be in a good matchup against Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White Monday but Wilson has the talent to take on just about any corner in the league. The breakout party begins Monday.
Tight End: Will Jeremy Ruckert begin his breakout campaign in Week 1?
Tight end has almost become a forgotten position for the Jets with all the focus on Aaron Rodgers, the running backs and the wide receivers. But let’s not forget that the second-leading receiver last season was actually Tyler Conklin. The Jets are also really high on 2022 third-round pick Jeremy Ruckert as well. And with the rise of 12 and 13 personnel in the NFL, the Jets have the players to copy the league in that sense and really get Conklin and Ruckert more involved in the offense. For all the talk of Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard, and rightfully so, don’t sleep on these tight ends in New York.
Offensive Line: Will the Jets finally have continuity on the offensive line and allow Aaron Rodgers to work?
Reports throughout training camp weren’t exactly kind to the Jets as Max Mitchell and Billy Turner struggled in camp. Then Alijah Vera-Tucker and Laken Tomlinson were banged up. It wasn’t until the week leading up to the final preseason game against the Giants when the Jets finally had the group of five that they wanted up front — Duane Brown, Tomlinson, Connor McGovern, Vera-Tucker and Mekhi Becton. They’ve only practiced together for about two weeks, so building that continuity is key for the Jets. Especially after what we saw last season. Yes, at some point we expect Joe Tippmann to take over at center, but at least that would keep the rest of the line status quo. The Jets are praying the injury bug stays away.
