The Jets don't have a shortage of playmakers on special teams. Arian Smith and Qwan'tez Stiggers were among the league's top gunner duos in 2025 and Kene Nwangwu has five kickoff return touchdowns in his career, which is the most by any player in the league since he entered in 2021.

There's a reason why special teams coordinator Chris Banjo has them play the position that requires tremendous speed and physicality.

Let's go back to Week 16 against the Saints last season: Smith had his hands on his knees on the outside of the Jets' punt formation. He eyed his opponent; he told himself he'd win – he did.

The ball is snapped and Smith took off, reaching a max speed of 19.92 miles per hour, and surged 55-yards down field where Austin McNamara's punt landed. The Saints didn't gain any yardage – Smith was there to make the tackle right at the 5-yard line.

That special teams play is a little blurry in Smith's mind, but he can't forget the celebration. The gunner is one of the more unique positions in football tasked with pressuring and attacking the punt returner. Smith, Stiggers and Nwangwu share the responsibility.

Smith finished the season with an 80.0 PFF grade on punts, the second-highest among all receivers with 10-plus snaps behind only Tylan Wallace (Baltimore) and the highest among all rookie receivers. (Wallace has since signed in free agency with Cleveland.)

"I just ran, and you know what I mean, just did what I did at practice," said Smith, who the Jets selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Georgia.

Of the 58 players that logged 30-plus snaps as a gunner in 2025, Smith logged the fourth-lowest gunner loss percentage (4.5%) defined by PFF as the percentage of plays in which the gunner logs a negative grade.

The Jets special teams unit recorded a 3.18 EPA on all punt plays with Smith on the field, the third-highest mark among all rookie wide receivers.

"You could play half the play on offense or defense, I don't think anybody does that, but you can do that. But on special teams you have to play the whole play," Smith said. "If I have two guys on me, I still have to compete the whole play. I have to beat one if I beat the other and by that time the play is still going."

Release, separate, tackle -- that's a gunner's mission. It's a physical demand and it requires sharp instincts. And it's an opportunity to see the field. Nwangwu is known for his ability as a kick returner, but he's also an asset as a gunner to special teams coordinator Chris Banjo.

"Obviously we know how fast he is as a player and he's been able to use those different attributes to be impactful in different phases for us, so it's been really, really good," Banjo said. "And now you also see his confidence growing with the different type of weapons he can continue to be for us."

As a cornerback, Stiggers didn't expect to be a "Day 1 starter," and he found his role as a gunner.

Over the past two seasons he's played over 500 snaps on special teams.

"I love it man," Stiggers said. "We've got one of the best special teams in the league. I love playing gunner."

In 2025, Stiggers ranked in the top 15 in gunner win grade percentage and Smith joined him in the top 20. The Vikings are the only other team to feature a pair of gunners in the top 20 (Tavierre Thomas and Tai Felton).

"They've done a great job finding conviction in who they are, their roles on our team and how they want to continue to also be a weapon for us in that phase of the game," Banjo said.

McNamara posted a 43.2 net average on 71 punts, the highest by any Jets punter in a single season since StatsPass began tracking in 1976. Thirty-two of those punts were inside the 20. After adding more power to his punts in the offseason, McNamara feels more explosive, and the communication he has with the gunners is important in terms of direction and coverage plans.

"We've developed a lot of chemistry especially since last year," McNamara said. "This offseason we've been working a lot together so it's really cool and it definitely makes it more personal if you know the guy you're going to battle with each day."

Speed is a necessity. Banjo tells them to "get the ball and the call." But speed isn't the only asset Smith brings.

"I definitely display my physicality whether it's the run game and a majority of it is special teams right now," Smith said. "Just being out there being a football player, I'm more than just a receiver."

So, what's the best example of Smith's physicality?

"When he made that tackle inside the five, that's all the physicality you need to see," Stiggers said of that play against the Saints.

Stiggers said he and Smith are racing to see who can make the All-Pro list and Sunday at Tennessee is the beginning of what Smith considers a "fresh start."

"I feel like I can do better than last year and there's times and plays I wish I could have back and I just look at those plays and learn from them," Smith said. "When it comes up this year, I already know what to do."