The Jets begin OTAs (organized team activities) this week and the practice action for the voluntary sessions is expected to include 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and team drills. Here are some things we'll be watching over the next three weeks in Phase 3 of the offseason program:

Back to 1JD
With apologies to novelist Thomas Wolfe, the Jets are leaning into the fact that You Can Go Home Again. Geno Smith and Demario Davis have returned to the Jets will quarterback the offensive and defensive units, respectively. A second-round pick of the Jets in 2013, Smith, 35, will practice with the Green & White for the first time in 10 years.

"He has an electric arm," head coach Aaron Glenn said of Smith. "He's extremely smart and the thing I told him that I clearly saw from playing against him was just how he has matured over these years and being able to just take command of the offense when it comes to protections, when it comes to getting in and out of plays an putting us in the right play. I think that's going to be a huge thing that Frank (Reich's) going to be able to take advantage of – a guy who has seen it before that knows how to put the offense in the right play."

Smith, who will start for his third team in three seasons, had a strong three-year run in Seattle before a tough year in Las Vegas. He is set up for a bounce-back campaign behind a sturdy offensive line and a group of talented skill-position targets headlined by WR Garrett Wilson and RB Breece Hall.

"Step in, be the voice for him in the locker room," Smith. "Be myself first and foremost and come in and be the leader and take over, take this thing over. (Glenn) wants veteran leadership. He wants guys who played a lot of football and I can be both of those things for him. It's really simple -- go out there, be yourself, lead the team, and go out there and get it done and get wins."

Davis, 37, led the Saints in tackles each of the past eight seasons. A third-round pick of the Jets in 2012, Double D is back has returned for a third stint.

"This is my third time around, but as I come around this time, I come back very different," Davis said. "I come back very purposeful, very clear on vision, and very clear about who I am and this wasn't a happenstance situation. This was a choice, very specific, knowing who I am and who I'm called to be. I knew exactly what I'm stepping into this time around. I know who I am and I know what I bring to a locker room. I take a lot of pride in playing the game at an elite level, and every year I step on the field – I'm trying to be better than the prior year. I take a lot of pride and passion in helping elevate a defense. Playing amongst and inside of the top defenses in the league is something that I take a lot of pride in being a part of. So, helping our defense get to that place is a mission of mine."

The Playcallers
Head coach Aaron Glenn shook up the coaching staff this offseason and turned the offensive keys over to Frank Reich.

"These guys ran the ball pretty well last year, so we'll build on that," Reich said. "But you also have to find ways to be dynamic in the passing game and be excellent in situational football, and the way to do that is to create problems that the defenses can't solve. You do that schematically, you do that personnel-wise, so those are the things that we're focused on as a coaching staff and that we'll work with the players on."

After interviewing several candidates for the defensive coordinator post, Glenn hired Brian Duker. While Duker is familiar face and has been through the fire with Glenn at multiple spots, AG will handle playcalling duties.

"I miss it," Glenn said at the NFL Combine. "I really do and it's a competitive thing. … I think that's one mistake I made last year was not doing that. I said it before – I'm not going to make the same mistakes I made in '25. That's why I'm looking forward to '26. I'm going to do everything I need to do to put this team in position to win games."

New Defense
It's possible if not likely that the Jets will have 6-8 new defensive starters next season after signing Davis, DL David Onyemata, DE Joseph Ossai and OLB Kingsley Enagbare, trading for S Minkah Fitzpatrick and DT T'Vondre Sweat and drafting edge David Bailey and CB D'Angelo Ponds. Glenn is excited about several coaching defensive assistants including DL coach Karl Dunbar and LB coach Ben Bolling.

"The crux of it is going to be a lot of the things we did in Detroit because I think that allows to be really multiple when it comes to who we are," Glenn said. "We can have 3-4 principals, we can be 4-3 if we want to. That's the good thing about it. I have a coaching staff on the defensive side that really understands that and the synergy that we have, that we have been talking in trying to build this thing has been outstanding."

Glenn wants to change his looks and Jets targeted players with versatility this offseason.

"Moug has done a great job really building the front seven to the point now that we have a lot of guys that are very good players that can do a number of things," Duker said. "And so really the challenge for us as a defensive staff is to always get the best 11 out there and then we have so many guys that can do different things that really gives us the ability to be creative and put guys in different positions."

Size and Speed
After the draft selections of DL Darrell Jackson Jr.. and G Anez Cooper (6-5, 334), Glenn told reporters that "mass kicks ass." The Jets became a bigger team in the middle with the additions of Sweat (6-4, 366) and Onyemata (6-4, 310) and the veteran LB Davis (6-2, 248).

"It's a big man's game," Glenn said. "I think we all know that. Sweat is a guy who can control the middle and we wanted that."

The Jets offense will bring a lot of speed to the table. Wilson, WR Adonai Mitchell, Hall and rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq all posted sub-4.4 times in the 40-yard dash. WR Omar Cooper Jr., selected No. 30 overall out of Indiana, was clocked at 4.42 seconds in the 40 at the combine.