Let's talk offense, shall we?

Great article from The Zack Rosenblatt kick start the discussion.


https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6534908/2025/08/05/new-york-jets-running-game-breakdown/

The New York Jets are built to run the football — and here’s how they’ll do it



The Jets finally built a brick wall up front after many — so, so many — years of trying. They also feel like they have the running backs to burst through that wall like the Kool-Aid man.

A deep offensive line built through high draft picks and prudent free-agent signings, an intriguing backfield featuring three ball-carriers with varying skillsets, a running quarterback unlike one this organization has ever employed, and a coaching staff with designs on an offense built to run it down your throat.

“We want to be a fast, physical, and violent outfit,” offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand said.

A year ago, this was one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL, and a big reason for that was simple: They rarely ran it. Some of that was because of inconsistencies in the run blocking and in the way the backs were running the ball, but most of it was because the Jets employed a quarterback in Aaron Rodgers keen on throwing the ball as often as possible. The Jets had the fewest rushing attempts in the NFL last season. They only ran the ball 27.5 percent of the time in the red zone, far and away the lowest in the NFL — nearly 10 percentage points lower than the Bengals, the second least-run-heavy attack. There’s an argument that the Jets running game was bad for a lack of trying.

That won’t be the case in 2025, not with Aaron Glenn leading the way, not with the way the Jets are designing their offense, and not with the pieces they brought into the fold — and the pieces they brought back from last year’s roster. There was frustration among players on both sides of the ball with how infrequently (and often ineffectively) the Jets ran last season. If that wasn’t clear already, it has been in the way players have been talking about the new scheme and renewed focus on establishing the run. Suffice to say: They’re excited.

“I love running the ball, man,” said left guard John Simpson. “That’s my strong suit. I’m excited for the opportunity to come out here and just run the ball. All the other stuff will come. If we can run the ball, we’ll win a lot of games.”

Added running back Breece Hall: “From a whole offensive standpoint we’re all really bought into this run scheme. I think it fits our backs more, I think it makes more sense to the guys up front.”

There was a variety of factors that propagated the issues in their rushing attack last year, including the aforementioned Rodgers factor — he often checked out of running plays even though the Jets, per TruMedia, faced the smallest percentage of stacked boxes (11.6 percent) in the NFL. But that list also includes a lack of creativity in play-calling, especially when Nathaniel Hackett was running things, and an offensive line that wasn’t buying into the style or approach of their position coach, Keith Carter.

Glenn has designs on recreating what made the Lions offense so successful over the last few years in Detroit, with an even heavier emphasis on the run, cultivating a scheme that better fits his new quarterback (Fields) than his old one (Jared Goff). From that Lions staff, Glenn hired Tanner Engstrand as his offensive coordinator and Steve Heiden as his offensive line coach.

Heiden, curiously, was the Lions’ tight ends coach and has only coached offensive line briefly in the NFL (in 2018 with the Cardinals), but the word out of Detroit is that he was heavily involved in cultivating the game plan for the running game and his responsibilities extended beyond his position group. The Lions had the fourth-best rushing offense in the NFL over the last two years. Scheme-wise, there will be an emphasis on wide-zone runs which, in simple terms, is predicated around the offensive line moving together laterally at the snap and forcing the defense to flow in the same direction of the offensive line, creating cut-back opportunities for the running back. The goal is to open up creases for the back to attack — and so the Jets’ backs (namely Breece Hall) need to do a better job of attacking those holes when they come than they did a year ago.


“The offense is similar to what we did my freshman year at Wisconsin. It’s very familiar for me, it’s very natural,” running back Braelon Allen said.

Center Joe Tippmann said the offensive line’s responsibilities are different in this offense than in the last one.

“What we were doing before, there was a lot of getting out wide and running. Now it’s tighter landmarks and more downhill,” Tippmann said. “As an offensive lineman you want to be able to get your feet in the ground and put pressure into the guy across from you. I’d say that’s a big difference for me.”

Glenn’s pursuit of recreating the Lions offense — especially the running game — goes beyond scheme too. The Jets prioritized drafting a prospect they could plug right in at right tackle, and Armand Membou was at the top of his list for the combination of his size, strength and athleticism. Internally, the Jets view Membou as someone who is ready to make an impact in the running game right away while working through some growing pains as a pass-blocker. Simpson’s strength is in the running game, and the trio of left tackle Olu Fashanu, center Joe Tippmann (battling with veteran Josh Myers to start) and right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker have all combined to open up holes throughout training camp. The passing offense has looked inconsistent, but the running game has looked dominant at times.

“That group is taking on the identity of what AG talks about,” Engstrand said. “I think they are taking that to heart and they are playing with that mentality. Which you’re seeing — we’re finding some lanes and getting some movement up front, but we’ve got some really good players out there, too, like we talked about in the spring. I really like where that group is going right now.”

Said Glenn: “Every offensive lineman that I know, man, they want to get downhill and smash somebody. And that’s what our guys can do.”

In addition to the offensive line, Glenn made it a point to add (and bring back) wide receivers with a willingness to get in the mix and block in the running game. It was the first thing that came out of Glenn’s mouth in March when he was asked why they signed wide receiver Josh Reynolds, and the No. 1 reason the Jets (surprisingly) brought back Allen Lazard. Glenn has also emphasized how impressed he’s been with tight end Mason Taylor’s blocking ability in camp — and backup Jeremy Ruckert’s primary role will likely be as a blocker too.

The expression “no block, no rock” might as well be painted on the walls of the wide receiver room. “Receivers gotta be able to block,” said wide receiver Tyler Johnson. “You gotta do the dirty work.”

Garrett Wilson, the Jets’ star receiver, is excited about the prospect of a running game actually opening things up in the passing game — especially important since the Jets don’t have a whole lot of threats to scare opposing defenses and draw attention away from Wilson.

“The better we can run the ball with the running backs we got, Justin’s ability to run the ball, the more push we can get, the more we can run the ball on second and short and convert, that stuff is going to open up everything for us,” Wilson said. “By the time we get into the season hopefully we’re rolling.”

That point about converting from short distances is important because, again, the Jets rarely ran the ball from short distances last season despite having the personnel (namely running back Braelon Allen) to do so. The Jets had the fewest rushing attempts with two yards or fewer to a first down (44) in the NFL — while the Lions ranked eighth.

And that gets to the other most important reason to believe in the Jets’ ability to run the ball in 2025: The running back room.

 

Since the early days of Glenn’s tenure, he’s emphasized that this won’t be a one-back offense — he views the trio of Hall, Allen and Isaiah Davis as a three-headed monster, all three with varying skillsets. He comes from Detroit, where the Lions first split carries between D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams and then, more effectively, between Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. The skillsets, to a degree, line up in comparison to the Jets’ running back room — Hall should play the role of Gibbs, an explosive runner and threat in the passing game. Hackett famously admitted late in the 2023 season that he didn’t realize Hall could be an effective pass-catcher until halfway through the season.

Glenn won’t be making that mistake. Hall has the most receiving yards (1,074) and third-most receiving touchdowns (seven) among all running backs over the last two years. “We are going to open his game up quite a bit,” Glenn said. “He’s the type of guy that you can split out wide and let him run the route tree, because he can run it like a receiver. And I like that matchup with him against a safety or a linebacker.”

In this comparison, Allen can be the Montgomery type — a big, strong, downhill runner that should thrive in the trenches. Allen has been a standout in camp and looks more explosive than he did as a 20-year-old rookie. He ran for 334 yards, two touchdowns and only averaged 3.6 yards per carry last year, though the Jets got away from him as the season progressed — he had more than six carries in a game only twice after Week 8.

“Braelon is a 240-pound man that’s always falling forward,” Glenn said. “Listen, that’s where he’s going to make his money. I’m not just saying in short yardage, those downhill runs, it’s going to weigh on defensive players, and when you continue to do that, you just create something as far as a team, as far as an identity, that this league will take notice of, and I’m looking forward to that.”

The Jets have the ability — especially in light of a potentially thin receiving corps — to deploy Allen and Hall on the field at the same time too. Even if they don’t, their skillsets are varied enough that, at their best, they can keep the defense off balance. It’s not unike Gibbs and Montgomery, who weren’t often on the field at the same time but still balanced each other out.

“That’s two different dynamics that you have to get ready for when it comes to a defense getting ready to play against those guys,” Glenn said. “So, as a guy that has been coaching on defense for the most part, I know the issues that come with that and being able to game plan when this guy comes in the game or when this other guy comes in the game.”

The difference between this backfield and the one in Detroit: The Jets feel like they have a third starting-caliber running back in Isaiah Davis, who flashed as a fifth-round rookie last year. Davis averaged 5.8 yards per carry, albeit on limited touches (30 rushes). “He brings everything,” Glenn said. “Pass protection, his ability to run, his route tree, he’s a smart player, he’s tough, he’s aggressive. He’s a valuable piece of what we’re trying to do.”

And if anyone wants to believe in the Jets’ ability to be one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL, the conversation includes Fields. Even after dealing with his toe injury (the one that caused an unnecessary stir), Fields has shown a level of mobility the Jets haven’t really had at quarterback … ever? During Saturday’s scrimmage, Fields scored an easy touchdown on a zone-read on one play, and scrambled for a long touchdown on another when he spotted a hole in the defense after a dropback.

Finally, the Jets should not only have a running game to reckon with — they have one that will be their identity.

 

Good point. But my main issue with him is his processing speed. He just doesn't get rid of the ball fast enough. Even at the training camp. The one Glenn ended practice early. He didn't convert 1 good pass. Waited...waited...waited and either took a "would be sack" or tucked it and ran. I am very discouraged to be honest.