Stock Watch for New York Jets Players After Week One
Week One of the 2025 NFL season is officially in the books, and the New York Jets are 0-1. Despite the loss they suffered to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team had answers to many question marks on the team. Whether those were the answers the team was looking for depends on the player, however. Some performed well, while others already have some fans calling for their jobs.
Stock Up: Justin Fields, QB
The talk of New York sports media since the game concluded was the performance of Justin Fields against the Steelers. Despite not having the most gaudy of numbers, Fields looked excellent executing exactly what he had to against a talented Steelers defense. He had his best PFF passing grade of his career with 90.4, as well as the best EPA per attempt of his career at 0.68. Fields also posted an adjusted completion percentage of 88.9, which was the third-highest of his career. Despite the loss, head coach called Fields’ play “encouraging”, a sentiment that many Jets fans agree with.
Stock Down: Brandon Stephens, CB
When Brandon Stephens was brought in during the offseason for $12 million per year, many people around the league raised an eyebrow. Stephens was a major reason the Ravens had such a bad pass defense in the first half of 2024. The Jets seemed adamant that they could develop him, but at least in week one, this did not come to fruition. Stephens was targeted seven times, allowing five catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns. He consistently had trouble locating the ball in coverage and even dropped a potential game-sealing pick-six after slipping on the turf. Stephens has a lot of season left, but with rookie Azareye’h Thomas sitting behind him, he needs to pick it up quickly.
Stock Up: Armand Membou, RT
Rookie tackle Armand Membou had a tall task ahead of him going into Week One. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith are two of the better edge rushers in the league, and he would have to face both of them in his first ever start in the NFL. How did he fare? On 25 pass-blocking snaps, Membou allowed zero pressures against this gauntlet. He was a major reason why the offensive line as a whole played so well, and showed why he was taken at the seventh pick in the 2025 draft.
Stock Down: Xavier Gipson, WR/KR
Xavier Gipson was a borderline roster player this summer, and some fans wanted him to be cut. The coaching staff made the decision to keep him as the returner for this season, and it potentially cost them the game on Sunday. Gipson had two fumbles, one which was recovered by the Jets, and one which gifted the Steelers an immediate redzone possession. This turnover was basically the turning point of the entire game and put the Steelers up a score. Aaron Glenn was critical of Gipson in the postgame presser, stating that “if you lose us games, you will not be on the field.” Gipson will have to improve quickly if he wants to continue returning kicks for the team.
