Throughout the regular season, NewYorkJets.com reporters Eric Allen, Randy Lange, Susanna Weir and Jack Bell will give their responses to a series of questions regarding the Jets.
Today's question:
What is your top storyline for the Jets-Steelers season opener?
EA: Week 1 action throughout the NFL features unscouted looks. My top storyline is which team is going to adjust better? We have no idea how HC Aaron Glenn and first-year OC Tanner Engstrand are going to scheme up an opponent. AG and Engstrand arrived from Detroit where the explosive Lions operated with more of a stationary QB in Jared Goff. Justin Fields is a true dual threat, and the Jets could use him the primary ballcarrier at times plus he'll give the RPO game an added dimension. The Jets are facing some adversity early as RG/team captain Alijah Vera-Tucker was lost to a torn triceps and the Steelers DL -- featuring edge T.J. Watt and DT Cam Heyward -- will provide a stiff test for an OL that will see RT Armand Membou see his first professional action. Then on the other side of the ball, Aaron Rodgers joined the Steelers in June and did not take a preseason snap. There is an unknown here with what Pittsburgh OC Arthur Smith, who relied heavily on the run last season, calling plays into Rodgers. The Jets were last in the NFL in rush attempts last season while the Steelers were fourth. And while Mike Tomlin has 18 years of NFL head-coaching experience under his belt, Glenn is ready for this moment. He'll have his guys prepared for every situation.
RL: Others will be focused on QB vs. QB and top WRs vs All-Pro CBs. But I'm going to take a less traveled road and say the tight ends will be major players in the first game of the new chapter of Jets football with Aaron Glenn as the HC. For the Steelers, Aaron Rodgers this week was heaping praise on his TEs room, which includes trade pickup Jonnu Smith (2 TD catches for Miami vs. the Jets last season) along with Pat Freiermuth, Connor Heyward and Darnell Washington, all carving out their roles. The Jets' LBs and safeties, Jamien Sherwood, Quincy Williams, Andre Cisco, Tony Adams & Co., will have their work cut out for them. But so will the Steelers' defense (which includes former Jets S Chuck Clark) when we see how much Mason Taylor can immediately bring to the table as the good-hands man and security blanket out of LSU, how well Long Island guy Jeremy Ruckert can reconnect with Justin Fields, his former OSU QB, and how UFA Stone Smartt and huge waiver signing Jelani Woods join the battle in helping young bookends Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou keep OLBs T.J. Watt and Nate Herbig at bay. The winners of these encounTErs could have a lot to say about AG's Jets get off on the right foot Sunday.
JB: With the injury to RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, the spotlight is likely to shine even more intensely on the Jets' rookie RT Armand Membou in his probable matchup against Pittsburgh's LB T.J. Watt. Membou (6-4, 332), the No. 7 overall selection in this year's NFL Draft, will face an instant baptism under fire against Watt (6-4, 252), who has amassed 108 sacks in his 8-year career, all with the Steelers. "He's a tremendous, tremendous athlete," Jets OC Tanner Engstrand said. "He has relentless pursuit, great effort and and that's just experience, and he's just a solid, all-around player that's a handful for a lot of people. We brought Armand in here for a reason, and he's up to the challenge. And not to say that it's not going to be challenging, but we feel great about it. We feel great about where he's at and in where our plan is." Playing in all 17 games in each of the past two seasons, Watt has notched 30.5 sacks, 129 tackles, 38 TFL and 63 QB hits. HC Aaron Glenn acknowledged the challenge Membou and the Jets face against Watt and it's likely that Membou will get some help, perhaps from a tight end lining up next to him or from a running back on passing plays.
SW: There are still several unknowns when it comes to the Jets' passing game, and facing a talented revamped Steelers' secondary during the first regular-season action might provide some insight into what this offensive attack could look like. Garrett Wilson is locked in as WR1, but we did not see QB Justin Fields connect with his college teammate during the duo's limited preseason snaps. Sunday presents a great opportunity to see that connection come to life, but Wilson will have his work cut out for him. The Steelers allowed 228 pass YPG in 2024, which was the eighth-most in the NFL, but they are an entirely different unit this year after adding CBs Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay this offseason. Ramsey and Slay -- who each boast more than 5 Pro Bowl selections -- rank first and second in passes defensed among players on active NFL rosters. Though Wilson is expected to be a popular target for Fields, pass catchers like Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard will likely need to step up for the offense to find success in this challenging matchup.
