Key Standouts from Week One of New York Jets Training Camp
The first week of New York Jets training camp is officially in the books. While there is still a lot of time left for players to get situated, there are still some things to be gleaned from the first few practices. Many players have shone, while others have taken a bit longer to get going. Although it’s still early, these standouts deserve attention for their efforts.
Braelon Allen, RB
Braelon Allen came into last season with a good bit of hype, being a 20-year-old second-round pick who would be sharing touches with another talented young back in Breece Hall. Allen started off the season pretty well, but began to tail off as the Jets’ running game overall fell apart. Head coach Aaron Glenn, who comes from a team in the Detroit Lions that has one of the best one-two punches in the league at running back, has made it known that he plans to use both Breece Hall and Braelon Allen significantly more this season. Allen has given him all the reasons to do this throughout the first week of camp, as he has shown off his explosiveness and ball-carrier vision many times. He has been quick to the hole on handoffs and has even shown promise in the passing game when he took a long screen pass to the house. Allen has been making a legitimate push to be the possible RB1 on the Jets’ depth chart, even over Breece Hall.
Will McDonald IV, EDGE
Will McDonald was an incredibly effective pass rusher in 2024, logging double-digit sacks. His issue was never pass-rush, though, as Jets fans know. McDonald’s bread and butter has always been his quickness and his finesse, his arsenal punctuated with one of the nastiest spin moves in the NFL. In the offseason, however, he has put on 15 pounds of muscle in an effort to round out his game, and so far through training camp, it certainly seems to be working. In addition to his finesse and quickness, McDonald has also seemed to have developed a legitimate bull-rush move as well, which he used to beat Armand Membou, who is 332 pounds, on a pass-rush rep. The extra weight will help him not only in the passing game, but will also help him be more stout against the run, which was an area he was fairly lackluster in during the 2024 season. When asked about McDonald’s development in this area, Aaron Glenn said the reason is simple: “Coaching.” Glenn said that just because people haven’t asked McDonald to make this transition doesn’t mean he was incapable of it. He just had to be coached correctly, and the coaching so far has paid off for McDonald.
Garrett Wilson, WR
Not much has changed with regards to Garrett Wilson, and that’s the best news Jets fans can hear. The young star receiver has continued to look like the best player on offense, catching multiple long balls during the week. Wilson’s camp so far has been highlighted by a catch over cornerback Brandon Stephens, where he climbed the ladder and high-pointed the football right over Stephens’ head. If Wilson continues to play the way he is, he should be in for yet another big year in 2025.
