Titans head coach Robert Saleh knows the New York Jets well, and he clearly respects what his former team has built. Ahead of the Week 1 showdown between Tennessee and New York, Saleh broke down the Jets roster with the kind of detail only a former coach could provide. His assessment? The Jets are talented across all three phases, and the Titans should expect a fight.

Now, it is almost predictable to expect what a head coach would say about an opposing team in a mid-week press conference, no matter who it is. We hear overwhelming praise a majority of the time as coaches want to show respect and not give bulletin-board material. Of course, that is understandably so, and it really comes with the position.

What Robert Saleh had to say, however, went beyond just simply “coachspeak”. 

Robert Saleh notices a strong Jets offensive line

Robert Saleh praised the Jets offense from the trenches out, starting with the offensive line and working through the skill positions. Here’s what he had to say:

“Just having some familiarity offensively, they’re talented, man. Their offensive line, they’ve got two really good tackles. Their interior is solid. Obviously Joe Tippmann being a guard, they’re just really solid on the offensive line altogether.”

I fully agree with Saleh’s analysis of the Jets’ offensive line unit. It is a young group as both tackles were first-round picks in the past two drafts. In fact, the group is so young that all five starters were drafted in the 2020 decade. The 2025 Jets offensive line was the first unit since 2023 to have all five guys start the entire season, an impressive feat. 

It’s a feat that allows for a lot of chemistry to be built amongst the group. They swapped out LG John Simpson for free agent Dylan Parham in the offseason, which might be an upgrade. There’s real reasons to be excited about this group. 

Saleh makes an eye-popping statement

Robert Saleh naturally transitioned to evaluating the rest of the Jets offense. Of course, he had to mention the names of guys that he coached during his time in New York. Yet, he still had great things to say about QB Geno Smith as well. But one quote he gave may turn a lot of heads. 

“And then I got a lot of respect for their entire backfield between Breece (Hall) and Braelon (Allen) and then Isaiah Davis. Garrett Wilson, I think, is one of the better receivers in all of football. They’ve done a good job drafting at the tight end level. Ruckert’s still there, and Geno can still sling it when he has time, and he can throw the ball. He’s got weapons to throw to. He can run a very high-functioning offense.

I fully expect them to be a really, really good offense as the year progresses, and I would not be surprised if this unit finishes in the top half of the league. It’s pretty talented,” stated Saleh. 

How the math works to get there

The New York Jets finished 29th in the NFL in 2025 in total offensive yards as well as total offensive points. Saleh stating that he sees top-10 potential in that group is a huge statement. The craziest thing about it may be that he actually has a point. 

If the Jets stay healthy, which is the ultimate question for all 32 teams, the weapons around Geno Smith combined with the strong offensive line could allow for fireworks. Geno Smith averaged only 201 yards per game in 2025 with the Raiders but was consistently around the 250 mark in his time with Seattle. 

I think the Smith we will see in 2026 is in the middle of those two versions, and I believe the Jets skill players are in the middle of those two groups as well. Both certainly better than the Raiders versions, but not as good as Seattle’s. Let’s say that puts Smith at about 225 yards per game. 

That means Smith would hit around 3800 passing yards on the season. The funny thing is that when you do the math, that is about 2,000 yards shy of the team with the 10th highest yards in 2025: the Denver Broncos (5,825 total yards of offense). 

Now, the 2,000 yards in the run game may seem like a high number. But what did the Jets rush for in 2025 you may ask? Yeah, that’s right they ran for 2,096 yards. And, it was reported that the Jets want to use Breece Hall even more in 2026.

This team can be a top-10 offense this season, they really can. 

What this means for the Jets heading into 2026

I think the biggest takeaway here is validation. The Jets certainly made bold moves this offseason under Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey. To hear an opposing head coach confirm that those moves make New York a legitimate threat across all three phases is a big deal. Robert Saleh isn’t just being polite, if he was he would just say that the Jets show some good stuff on tape.

He’s coached some of these players, and scouted others in this past year’s draft. He knows what they can do. Now, the Jets still have to go out and prove it on the field. We’ve seen New York have talented rosters before and fail to put it all together. 

But if Saleh is right that this offense could finish in the top half of the league, the Jets could be a real problem in the AFC. I won’t say one way or another because I have no idea, but I think we’ll get a strong sense when they take on the Titans this coming Sunday.