Throughout the offseason, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Ethan Greenberg and Randy Lange will give their responses to a series of questions regarding the Jets.
Today's question: What was your top takeaway from Week 1 of Jets OTAs?
EA: While the Jets were greeted with cold, gray and rainy weather this week, the outlook is bright in Florham Park. Head coach Aaron Glenn told reporters there was 100% attendance on the first day of the voluntary OTAs, so players have bought into the program. Wideout Garrett Wilson, who is eligible for a long-term extension, said he's "hopeful" that he's a Jet for life and emphasized that he wants to be part of something special. It was no surprise that Justin Fields -- a college teammate of Wilson's at Ohio State -- went right to No. 5 at the onset of 7-on-7 drills and later in team activities. Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who is the second-longest tenured Jet, owned up to an "immature" social media post following Aaron Rodgers' release and said he was paid to help "change this thing around." Third-year edge Will McDonald IV, the explosive, bendy pass rusher who was buzzing the tower during Wednesday's workout, has added 15 pounds to his frame. The kicking competition began as Anders Carlson and rookie Caden Davis each hit on 3-of-4 field-goal attempts although one of Carlson's connects came from 55 yards out.
EG: There's a real energy at practice. Players moved with purpose and intention throughout the OTA session that was open to the media including the walkthrough, which is more like a fast-jog-through. Even though participation is voluntary until the mandatory minicamp in June, you could tell players are enjoying being at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center even before Aaron Glenn told reporters the team had 100% participation on Day 1 of OTAs. As AG said, players are buying in, which helps the team build its identity and culture. Garrett Wilson and Quinnen Williams each expressed their confidence in the direction the Green & White is headed under Glenn's tutelage. The team is in the early stages of the Glenn era and are months away from the regular season, but the early outlook is positive for the 2025 Jets.
See Justin Fields, Garrett Wilson and the rest of the Jets on the field in the rain during the beginning of Phase 3 of the voluntary offseason program.
RL: My top takeaway is in regard to the new culture infusion that has begun under head coach Aaron Glenn, who noted "100% participation" from his roster in some of the early voluntary workouts. It is encouraging to hear the words of some of the veterans and locker room leaders for the first time this offseason after one of those OTAs. DL Quinnen Williams was happy to hear about that "perfect attendance.": He added: "That just shows you the belief we have in the new staff, the new head coach, the new regime, the new organization, the way we want to get this thing going." And G John Simpson said the AG message is getting through: "That's the culture here and you can see it coming along for sure. We're all on the same page. It's great knowing that we've got that collective thought process of getting a job done and doing whatever it takes to win." These are just offseason sentiments, of course, but the players are feeling it and those May words may just bloom into August actions and September successes.
CH: My biggest takeaway from Week 1 of Jets' OTAs was that the team is united. Aaron Glenn reiterated he is focusing on establishing a culture and creating an environment for success. With 100% participation on the first day of OTAs, you can tell this Jets team is buying into the new regime and its message. Quinnen Williams stressed how much Glenn's standard has been embraced by the players and the confidence he has in the way this Jets team is going because Glenn's standard is high. To have that type of reassurance from one of the team leaders this early shows a new mindset is already taking hold.
