On a blustery spring day in Florham Park, the Jets completed their second organized team activity (OTA) and the first one open to the media.

"It's just back to the work," said veteran LB Demario Davis. "No matter how many years you play in this business – every year it's the same. You're starting at ground zero whether you're the last team in the league or the first team in the league. It's really a race to the starting line and every day, first it's just a blessing to be here and be in this business and be a part of it. You have to appreciate it but once you get out there on the field, you're in these meetings taking it to the field, it's all about how can we get where we need to be by Week 1 and every team is in that same race and somebody's going to separate themselves. So, it feels great to be back, it feels great to be playing football, it feels great to be back in the hunt."

Here are six things we learned:

Voluntary Attendance
Head coach Aaron Glenn is encouraged about the participation in his team's voluntary program.

"We had 100% yesterday and I would say Phase Two we averaged around 95% and Phase One about 90%," Glenn said. "So, the guys have been in it and it's been really good."

Glenn broke down his approach to the three phases of the offseason program and where the team is at installing his defense and Frank Reich's offense.

"All I want them thinking about Phase 1 is strength and conditioning," Glenn said. "Going into Phase 2, we're still thinking about strength and conditioning, but that's when the installation comes in and that's the first round of installation. And we throw a lot at those guys, so it's three weeks of everything that we're doing when it comes to the system. And the Phase 3, we actually start right back over with the installation. So, what the players get is Phase 1 installation, Phase 2 installation. Then when we come back with training camp, they will get the installation again. So, that will be three times they get a chance to really dig deep in what the scheme is. "

High Praise
The Jets have several intriguing options along their revamped defensive line. Glenn, defensive coordinator Brian Duker and DL coach Karl Dunbar threw multiple different combinations at the offense and one area where you can expect immediate improvement is the run defense. While the pads won't come on until training camp, LB Demario Davis, one of the league's top backers against the run, lavished great praise on DL David Onyemata (6-3, 300).

"I don't want to make a preposterous statement because I've played with a lot of guys, but he's easily top-5 one of the best run defenders I've ever played with," Davis said. "I mean, he makes a noticeable difference in the game. And our time with the Saints (2018-22), every year that he was on our roster we were in the top 5 on defense in the league in almost every category you look at."

Sadiq Surgery
Rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq, who was selected No. 16 overall in April's draft, was relegated to a spectator. Sadiq, who participated in rookie minicamp, set an Oregon record for a TE with 51 receptions last season and his 8 receiving scores led the FBS. HC Aaron Glenn told reporters Sadiq recently underwent surgery to repair his hernia.

"He had a minor procedure, something that he dealt with and we knew about going into his last year of college and he dealt with it during rookie minicamp," Glenn said. "And we wanted to make sure we got it done right after rookie minicamp, so he'll be ready to go during training camp."

In 7-on-7 and team drills, the tight ends were frequently targeted. Jeremy Ruckert and Jelani Woods each caught several passes.

Breece and Braelon
On May 11, the Jets and RB Breece Hall reached agreement on a multi-year extension. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson (Rd 1, No. 10), who was taken 26 selections before Hall (Rd 2, No. 36) in the 2022 NFL Draft, was excited about the deal and the chance to still cash in on big plans their class initially had. Last October, the Jets traded CB Sauce Gardner (Rd 1, No. 4) to the Colts in exchange for a massive bounty and then in March the Green & White sent edge Jermaine Johnson (Rd 1, No. 26) to the Titans in exchange for a massive body in DT T'Vondre Sweat.

"It's not a failure, it got delayed," Wilson said. "It sucks to see some of the guys that we came in with not here. … The reality of is we have to figure this thing out and we are. We're on the prowl to do it and when you have a guy like Breece, it will make it a whole lot easier. He's special at what he does, one of the best in the league and I'm excited that they locked him down because we're going to need him. That boy can play and not to mention he just knows what it's going to take to turn this thing around and he's excited for it."

One of Hall's stable mates, Braelon Allen, had an impressive couple of runs during the workout. Allen sustained an MCL sprain in his left knee against the Dolphins last September and he finished the year on injured reserve.

QB1 and QB2
Geno Smith is back practicing with the Jets for the first time since 2016. During a 7-on-7 drill late in practice, Smith hit speedster Adonai Mitchell for a long gain down the sideline. Smith connected on 4-of-5 passes in team drills and was nearly intercepted by Nahshon Wright on a play where Mitchell may not have run the right route.

"You'll see he commands the huddle very well," said Glenn, who was scouting for the Jets when Smith was drafted in 2013. "He makes sure that everybody knows exactly what's going on when it comes to the play call and then once he breaks the huddle, man, he makes sure everybody explodes out of the huddle and gets lined up. And then his ability to see exactly what's going on and try to make the play calls, the protection calls, and things like that, identifying the Mike. He's very commanding."

Bailey Zappe, Brady Cook and rookie Cade Klubnik are competing at present for the No. 2 spot. Klubnik was sharp on Thursday and had a nice long-gainer over the middle to fellow rookie Malik McClain.

"It is an open competition," Glenn said before practice. "Obviously, Geno is our one. Bailey he was our two, but that can change as we go through these practices, but that's how we started out yesterday."

Winds of Change
Lenny Krieg, who initially signed a reserve/futures contract with the Jets in January, and Younghoe Koo, a former Pro Bowler who signed this week, handled kicking duties. Cade York, who was added in free agency, missed the Jets' second OTA due to a groin injury. The May winds led to inconsistent results and even impacted some special teams punts from the JUGS machine.