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Biggest Winners & Losers From Jets' 8/8 Training Camp Scrimmage
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- Biggest Winners & Losers From Jets' 8/8 Training Camp Scrimmage
Kingsley Enagbare stood out on Aug. 8. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It's not every day an NFL practice turns into a full-blown scrimmage. In the case of the New York Jets , that's exactly what happened Saturday morning.
Ahead of joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week, the Jets concluded the first part of training camp with a team scrimmage in front of season ticket holders. What those fans saw may have excited or disappointed them (depending on whose side they were on).
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As we go through the big winners and losers of the day, it's important to remember that each practice is only that: a practice. Plenty of performers on the losing side can come back and have good practices. This is in no indication of the Jets outlook on the season. Now, let's get to it.
Winner: David Bailey
Bailey gave everybody a scare when he gingerly walked off the field with an apparent injury, but was able to return with his helmet on and perceivably no issues. That concern masked what was another dominant session.
Easily the one thing about Bailey that has concerned some analysts has been his run defense . The Texas Tech product's run fit was always a work in progress going into the 2026 season. Today was a step in the right direction, though.
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Not only was Bailey New York 's best defensive player again when it came to pressuring the quarterback, he also had several reps in run defense that showed he could be a lot better at that than people give him credit for.
Fully healthy, Bailey has been New York's best overall player on defense this camp. He showed it again on Saturday.
Loser: Starting offense
The day started well for the offense. They went up the field on the opening scrimmage drive and scored a touchdown on a broken play to Isaiah Williams .
After that, the group struggled. Sloppy penalties, incomplete passes and just a genuine discombobulated look had the first-team offense appear disorganized throughout practice. It was an alarming end to practice simply because the group had played well during the week and even managed to win consistently against New York's defense.
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Today was not a win, though. And if the Jets continue to play a sloppy brand of football in joint practices with the Bucs, it will look even worse. It's a good time to nip the sloppiness in the bud as quickly as possible.
Winner: Kingsley Enagbare
Outside of Bailey, arguably the most impactful player on the Jets defense has been Kingsley Enagbare. He showed why on Saturday with several run stuffs and excellent rushes that resulted in either pressures or sacks.
Enagbare is going to be part of New York's rotation along the defensive line with McDonald and Ossai joining him and Bailey. But with Ossai still nursing a pre-camp injury, that means there are more reps to go around for Enagbare. And he continues to make the most of those opportunities.
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Loser: Jets' secondary
Why would the Jets' secondary be here if the offense did not win the day? The answer is rather simple. In the modern NFL, defenses need to be heavily focused on not giving up the big play. Forcing an offense to go up and down the field on long drives is very difficult to sustain.
On Saturday, the Jets' secondary gave up a lot of big plays. Whether it was a deflected touchdown by Isaiah Williams or a deep completion from fourth-round rookie Cade Klubnik to Williams again for a 60-yard bomb, Gang Green cannot give up big plays like that.
Because better quarterbacks on their schedule will have them in hell if they don't.
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Winner: Darrell Jackson Jr.
Noticing a pattern? New York's success on defense will come due to their line. If they can generate pressure, then quarterbacks won't be able to pick apart their secondary. If they cannot get pressure, quarterbacks will target their corners repeatedly.
The good news is that the Jets' defensive line all played well on Saturday. Chief among them was underrated fourth-round rookie Darrell Jackson Jr. The Florida State product recorded an (unofficial) sack and has continued a strong camp.
With T'Vondre Sweat still out with an injury on the PUP list , the Jets have loved what they have seen from their current rookie tackle. The more he plays, the more impressive he looks. And the better the defensive line could be.
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Loser: Backup offensive line
New York's backup line was a mixed bag on Saturday. Some of the players, like tackle Max Mitchell , played very well against the likes of Bailey. Others, such as backup center Xavier Newman, struggled mightily.
The Jets will need at least one additional offensive lineman to complete their group. That current ninth or 10th best player is simply not on the roster right now. Finding someone who they can trust to backup Josh Myers at center will be something that general manager Darren Mougey must figure out.
In the end, the backup line wasn't good enough on Saturday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi as Biggest Winners & Losers From Jets' 8/8 Training Camp Scrimmage .
