The Jets and Giants held their first of two joint practices against each other on Tuesday morning in Florham Park.
They will also have a joint practice on Wednesday in East Rutherford before Saturday’s preseason game against each other.
The practice lasted two hours and was full of team drills and red zone work for both sides.
Here are some observations from Day 1 of joint practices.
FIELDS HAD GOOD MOMENTS, BUT OFFENSE WAS UNEVEN
Justin Fields’ play, much like the rest of the offense, was shaky at times. He completed 8-of-13 passes while taking what the Giants’ defense gave to him by completing short passes underneath the coverage.
At the beginning of 11-on-11 drills, Fields completed his first five passes. However, he had a stretch in which he went 0-for-4, and Fields was sacked multiple times. The Jets’ offense struggled to move the ball, quickly going three-and-out on a series.
The good news for Fields is that he and the team’s offense bounced back during red zone drills to conclude practice. He completed three touchdown passes inside the 20, including a sidearm throw to tight end Jeremy Ruckert.
“I think the offense, we started off good,” Fields said. “First two periods, I think we did well.
“I think that second and long period, going into third down, it could have been better. Other than that, I feel like we did alright, but I’m always going to say there’s always room to improve.”
Tuesday was a microcosm of how training camp has been for the Jets’ offense. There have been times when Fields has thrown the ball and the offense has executed well. But there have been more times in which Fields has missed passes to his receivers and also held the ball too long.
Fields is still learning offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand’s system and gaining chemistry with his teammates, which could be part of the reason for the struggles. He also has only one proven wide receiver on the outside in Garrett Wilson.
The Jets want to be a run-heavy offense leaning on their talented backfield in Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. But they need a more consistent passing attack to keep defenses away from the line of scrimmage.
“The one thing we got to do is, when we see a guy, let’s get it out,” head coach Aaron Glenn said about Fields. “Then there’s other times, man, I want him to use his legs like he did.
“So, it’s kind of hard to really say that, especially when you haven’t evaluated the tape just yet. But just from the naked eye, I thought it was a little bit of both. Man, sometimes you got to get it out, but there’s also times I liked the way he used his legs.”
OL HAD ROUGH DAY VS. GIANTS’ PASS RUSHERS
The Jets’ offensive line faces a tough challenge every day when they line up against a defense that has finished in the top three statistically each of the last three seasons. However, they struggled to protect Fields during 11-on-11 drills when facing a stout Giants pass rush.
The Giants registered four sacks on Fields, including two by Brian Burns. Rookie Abdul Carter also harassed Fields and was seen lining up all over the field, including right in front of center Joe Tippmann, where he beat him to register the sack.
Even when Fields wasn’t sacked and the play was blown dead, Giants defenders regularly pressured Fields.
“We came out with low energy, but then we picked it up throughout practice,” Jets right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker said. “So tomorrow, we should be ready to go.
“They are pretty good upfront, so it was good for our O-Line to see that. Just from the O-Line perspective in the run game and the pass game, it was good work today. With that rookie, they got [Carter], you can plug him in anyway on the line from what I’ve seen in the preseason Bills game and today too. They are going to be pretty good upfront.
TAYLOR COULD HAVE HUGE ROLE IN PASSING ATTACK
Jets rookie tight end Mason Taylor returned to practice after dealing with a high-ankle sprain. But Taylor did not look like a player who had missed over a week of practice due to injury.
Early in practice, Taylor laid out and brought in a tremendous sideline catch from quarterback Adrian Martinez. He also caught passes from Fields, which helped move the chains and give the Jets a new set of downs.
“I think it was outstanding the way he was able to reach and maneuver his feet to stay in bounds on that play,” Glenn said about Taylor. “But it’s the things I expect of him in the passing game. It’s nothing new for that player.”
With questions at the wide receiver position for the Jets, Taylor could have a significant role in their offense this fall. A lot of attention will be paid to Wilson, and deservedly so, after registering 101 catches for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns last year.
But Taylor could be Fields’ offensive security blanket in third down situations. He is a natural pass catcher who also has the speed and quickness not just to beat defenders but also to go up and bring the ball down in traffic.
“The thing is, he’s just got to make sure that he comes along at the right pace, so we don’t reinjure that ankle again, but he’s a fighter and he wants to be out there,” Glenn said. We’re going to do everything we can to protect him the right way, but also let him go out there and get his work in. So, I thought he had a hell of a day.”
https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/08/12/jets-giants-joint-practice-justin-fields/