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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 21: Adonai Mitchell #15 of the New York Jets runs after the catch against Jamel Dean #35 of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first half at Acrisure Stadium on August 21, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
The New York Jets are predicted to be one of the most improved teams in the NFL in 2026.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell was tasked with identifying the five most likely NFL teams to improve this season based on results from last year. The Jets cracked the list.
“Let’s stick around in North Jersey, where the 2025 Jets did something that nobody in NFL history had managed before. Despite hiring former starting cornerback Aaron Glenn as the team’s head coach, the Jets simply could not catch the football on defense. They went all season without even a single interception, the first time that has ever happened. The Jets went 0-for-503,” Barnwell bluntly shared.
“As if that wasn’t enough, the Jets were also unlucky in terms of recovering fumbles, ranking 31st behind the aforementioned Lions by grabbing just 35% of loose balls in their games. On defense, the Jets recovered four of the 14 fumbles they forced. In total, those four turnovers the Jets forced are the fewest for any team since 1934, when the St. Louis Cardinals forced four takeaways all season. Of course, they also played only three games,” Barnwell wrote.
“With the offense struggling, the Jets finished with a turnover margin of minus-19. The Commanders were the only other team to finish with a double-digit negative turnover margin, and they came in at minus-13. The Jets were on a disastrous island,” Barnwell said.
“Whether it’s a renewed emphasis on recovering the football, improvements on the personnel side or sheer randomness, history shows that the vast majority of teams in this window improve their turnover margin and their win-loss record the following season. Adjusting for the 17-game season, there have been 34 teams since 1990 to finish with a turnover margin between minus-22 and minus-16 in a given season,” Barnwell added.
“The following year, their turnover margin improved by an average of nearly 20 turnovers. Those teams finished with an average turnover margin of plus-1.3. And unsurprisingly, they got much better in the process. They won an average of 2.8 more games the following season. The most recent example would be the 2022 Jaguars, who recovered from the Urban Meyer fiasco in 2021 to go 9-8 and win the division,” Barnwell said.
Jokes Write Themselves
The Jets are set to be one of the most improved teams in 2026, says Barnwell? Well, it’ll be hard for them to be worse than 2025.
The Jets finished with a 3-14 record and collected an array of futility infinity stones along the way. So that level of ineptitude by default puts them in a position to improve because the bar isn’t set very high.
However, the oblong-shaped football turnover probability charts make sense. The Jets were so unlucky last year that they can’t possibly repeat their 2025 efforts. It goes the other way too.
Last year, the Jets trotted out the same five offensive linemen from Weeks 1 through 18. They were the only NFL team to accomplish that. The Jets as an organization hadn’t accomplished that feat in 14 years. In other words, the lord giveth and the lord taketh.
The Temperature Gauge
Head coach Aaron Glenn needs to win games to save his job. Thanks, Captain Obvious. However, that isn’t the only measurement of success.
Another thing Glenn can do to save himself is to develop the roster. Are the first-year players going into year No. 2 making a jump? What about the rookie class in 2026? What’s the rookie QB development plan? That can be another feather in the cap of Glenn if he’s able to check off a few of these from the to-do list; he can continue his tenure as the HC of the NYJ.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
