Gang Green Nation
The Jets are set up in 2026 to start building a team in the vision of Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. They have four picks in the first two rounds of the draft, and they’ll have over $100 million in cap space after some obvious cuts. They may even put themselves in a position to draft a franchise QB depending on how they finish the season. It’s honestly an enviable place to be in comparison to some of the other horrible teams in the league.
But all of that only matters if the Jets have the coaching staff in place to develop the talent that they acquire. Developing the young talent they draft, getting the most out of their stars currently here, and identifying and improving free agent talent. If they can’t do that then no matter what they do, it won’t matter.
With that in mind, I want to look at how Tanner Engstrand has done in these areas. With a new quarterback on the way and a wealth of young talent likely to come on the offensive side, it’s important to grade Engstrand fairly. Is he the guy the team needs to develop these guys in the future?
It’s especially noteworthy because Glenn may not be tied to him. He watched Dan Campbell fire Anthony Lynn after one year and hire Ben Johnson. Engstrand also wasn’t Glenn’s first choice for the job, only turning to him when Nick Caley chose the Texans over New York. So if Glenn deems Engstrand a failure, it’s very possible he follows his mentor’s lead and makes a quick move before he takes the ship down with him.
Engstrand has only had one season, but there’s plenty to look at here since the Jets used three of their first four picks on offense and all of those guys have had a ton of snaps.
We can start with the biggest success, Armand Membou. The young RT has developed into one of the best in the NFL in his rookie season. He grades out as a top 10 RT in the league in nearly every way per PFF. He’s an elite pass blocker and his run blocking is coming along. He has struggled the last two weeks, but given he’s a rookie, ups and downs are inevitable. It’s safe to call Membou a clear win. Though I’m not sure how much Engstrand has to do with OL development and play considering they’re not scheme specific.
Then there’s Mason Taylor. The extremely young TE has come in and taken the starting job immediately, but despite the Jets complete lack of pass catching options, Taylor hasn’t been a factor. He’s currently on pace for just 482 receiving yards this season and has just one touchdown reception. Taylor is currently 5th among rookie TEs in receiving yards and he has the second fewest yards per route run of any TE in the NFL with at least 30 targets this season. A lot of...
