There's no way to put it nicely: Sunday afternoon's 28-25 loss to the Dolphins was nothing short of humiliating for the Jets. After all, the rival Dolphins entered Week 7 winless and among the NFL's laughing stocks, seemingly the perfect opportunity for head coach Aaron Glenn & Co. to claw within one game of a .500 record.
Instead of beating up on an easily beatable opponent, the Jets trailed the entire game as miscues on both sides of the ball suddenly had the Dolphins looking like the opposite of the AFC East's worst team. It's the type of defeat that likely not only defined Gang Green's season, but also Glenn's time in Gotham.
Heading into Week 8 with a 2-5 record, Jets general manager Darren Mougey will likely be doing much more selling rather than the buying fans wanted ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline . A roster retooling is needed to turn things around, after all, so don't be surprised if these three players become even bigger trade candidates after losing to the Dolphins.
A strong preseason performance led to Jarvis Brownlee Jr. having a big role with the Jets early in the 2026 season. He started the year off strong, too, with the veteran slot defender picking up Pro Football Foc us coverage grades of 82.0 and 70.0 in his first two games , all while playing 79 defensive snaps.
Unfortunately, that's as good as it's gotten so far.
Since then, Brownlee has finished with a grade of 59.4 or worse in each of his last four games, allowing 14 catches on 19 targets (73.7%) for 128 yards and a touchdown without any pass breakups or interceptions. The downward-trending performance forced Glenn to make a change on Sunday, scratching Brownlee while rookie CB D'Angelo Ponds took his spot in the lineup.
Although the Jets didn't win, Ponds looked solid, finishing with a 68.6 defensive grade while playing a season-high 30 snaps (32 combined in three previous games). He only allowed one five-yard catch and a 56.3 passer rating on two targets, giving the Jets even more reason to keep playing him over Brownlee.
Two years remain with cap hits of $1.08 million and $1.19 million on his contract , per Spotrac; Brownlee could easily be moved by the Jets before the trade deadline. It's becoming clear that he isn't a long-term solution in Gotham, so New York might as well see what it can get in a potential deal- especially if the team wants to fully unleash Ponds .
The Jets' wide receiver room has become healthier in recent weeks, with Tim Patrick, Omar Cooper Jr. and Adonai Mitchell all healing up since October began. While that's good news for New York's passing outlook, it's bad news for Isaiah Williams's hopes to get (and stay) on the field.
It's been a quiet season for Williams, who's done nothing of note since recording 73 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Bears in Week 4. The former undrafted playmaker recorded one 16-yard catch the following week and has now gone the last two appearances without a single target. Making matters worse, he only saw 22 offensive snaps in those games after averaging 46.6 in the five previous games.
He isn't even much of a factor on special teams anymore. After returning nine kicks and five punts in the Jets' first three games, Williams sits at two and five, respectively, in the last four.
Isaiah Williams might not be around the Jets for much longer if he can't make a bigger impact. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Set to hit restricted free agency in March, it's hard to imagine Williams sticking around. That's even more true if Cooper continues to put up 100-yard performances while Mitchell gets his footing back. With his cap hit just over $1 million and there's no real loss by moving on from him, the Jets could explore a potential Williams trade in the coming weeks.
The 2026 season is a big year for veteran safety Andre Cisco, who's due to become an unrestricted free agent this winter. That said, an early injury to offseason arrival Minkah Fitzpatrick seemingly opened the door for Cisco to prove himself last month , whether that meant securing an extension with the Jets or impressing another team that could target him in March.
Much to his dismay, Cisco's outlook was dealt a major blow once Fitzpatrick returned to begin October. Since Week 4, the former Jaguars third-rounder has played only three, one, two and nine defensive snaps. It doesn't help that he's struggled to capitalize on the diminished opportunities, finishing with the worst coverage (28.8) and overall defensive (27.8) grades among Jets defenders in Week 7, per PFF .
It's clear that Cisco has fallen out of favor, and it's hard to see him turning things around as long as Fitzpatrick and Dane Belton hold on to their starting roles. A $2.2 million cap hit means the Jets shouldn't have an issue moving on from Cisco via trade, and doing so would allow them to see what they've got with certain defensive backs on the taxi squad, including Mory Bamba, Jordan Clark and Sam Womack III.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi as 3 Jets Look Like Bigger Trade Candidates After Humiliating Loss to Dolphins .
