EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A look at what's happening around the New York Jets:
1. Pressure point: It's not an overstatement to say Sunday is one of the most important game of the Aaron Glenn era. He needs a win -- badly.
Glenn has lost 17 out of 21 games, including three in a row and eight of nine, dating back to last season. He has yet to beat a team with a winning record -- 0-8 in those games. That can change against the better-than-expected Cleveland Browns (3-1), who have a three-game winning streak for the first time since 2023.
If the Browns win, first-year coach Todd Monken will have as many wins in five games as Glenn would have in 22. That would be a bad look for Glenn, who defeated the Browns last year with rookie Dillon Gabriel at quarterback after Cleveland traded their Week 1 starter, Joe Flacco, and Deshaun Watson being out for the season with an injury.
Three of Glenn's four wins have come against backups, but Watson's back this season leading the charge in Cleveland.
"Sometimes you have to go to dark places, and that's tough," Pro Football Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott told ESPN this week, commenting on the Jets.
Lott and Glenn were teammates in 1994, Glenn's rookie year. Lott remembers Glenn as a precocious cornerback with a desire to be great. Watching from afar, Lott, one of the greatest winners in NFL history, roots for Glenn to turn around the Jets.
"When they get it right, it's going to be special," said Lott, a four-time Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers. "It's when everything starts to click and it feels right. He knows what it feels like and what it smells like. He's been around it in places like Detroit."
Glenn inherited a 14-year playoff drought, not to mention a slump of nine straight losing seasons. This wasn't going to be an overnight fix. At the same time, it doesn't help Glenn's cause when a team like the Browns, whose star-crossed history rivals that of the Jets, seem to be moving in the right direction in Year 1 of a rebuild.
"One of the most difficult things is, how do you get people to not accept losing anymore?" Lott said. "Aaron, knowing what I know about him, is trying to accomplish that. Some people can get it done. Some people can't. I hope Aaron gets it done."
Glenn is one of 16 coaches since the 1970 merger to have four or fewer wins in his first 21 games with the same team, per ESPN Research.
2. Arms race: The Jets and Browns could be competing again in the offseason -- in the college draft.
Both are expected to be in the quarterback market, and both have the ammunition to make moves. The Jets have three first-round picks, the Browns two. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is close to the Manning family, fueling speculation he will make a play for Arch Manning.
Meanwhile, Eli Manning, Arch's uncle, made headlines this week, telling the Barstool Sports podcast "Pardon My Take," "For purely selfish reasons, I wouldn't mind if he went to the Jets, just because I live right there. I could go to games, I could have dinner with him during the week a little bit. I think it'd be great for him to have some family nearby, so I wouldn't mind him going to the Jets, being up in New York."
Draft season should be fun.
3. Poised for a breakout? Rookie edge rusher David Bailey isn't racking up big numbers -- only three QB hits and two sacks in 90 pass-rushing opportunities.
His two sacks barely registered losses -- a combined minus-2 yards. He got credit for a sack when he shoved Cam Ward out of bounds on a scramble. His other sack came when Jordan Love pulled the ball down when Bailey obstructed a designed screen to a wide receiver.
Not the kind of plays that will make "SportsCenter" highlights. Even Bailey joked that his first NFL sack wasn't how he dreamed of it as a kid.
"I would say he's still learning, he's still growing," Glenn said. "He's going to be a damn good player in this league."
Overreaction is part of the deal in the NFL, so it's not surprising that some fans are concerned, especially with Arvell Reese thriving with the New York Giants. The Jets opted for Bailey over Reese with the second overall pick because they felt he was a pro-ready pass rusher. That said, patience is required.
"These last couple of weeks, you wouldn't think you'd have tight ends and running backs chipping the rookie, but he's getting that work," defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said. "We're trying to let him understand how he has to work with other guys and just can't be trying to beat everybody by himself. It's a four-man rush. It's not a one-man rush or two-man rush."
One opposing scout said Bailey relies too much on his speed and needs to be better with his hands. He has a chance for a breakout game against Browns right tackle Tytus Howard, who is shaky in pass protection.
4. When it rains ... The forecast calls for rain throughout the day Sunday. Sound familiar? From 2022 to present, the Jets have played more rain games at home (nine) than any other team (based on weather conditions at kickoff). The Seattle Seahawks, who play in the rainy Pacific Northwest, are the next-closest team (five). Oddly, the Giants have played only three rain games at home. Same stadium, different weather. No, the sun isn't shining on the Jets (in more ways than one), but at least they have a winning record (5-4) when it's wet in Jersey.
5. Motion sickness? Offensive coordinator Frank Reich's return after two seasons out of the NFL prompted questions about whether he'd be able to adapt to the current offensive trends. It's early, but here's one observation: Reich, who didn't use a lot of pre-snap motion in the past, still doesn't.
The Jets have used motion on 56% of their snaps, ahead of only the Pittsburgh Steelers (54%), per Next Gen Stats. (That the Steelers are last isn't a surprise, considering Aaron Rodgers' well-documented disdain for pre-snap motion.) The use of motion across the league is at an all-time high. Coaches like it because it can create favorable matchups and force defenses to reveal coverage before the snap. Reich seems hesitant to join the crowd.
6. Did you know? The Jets have committed only one turnover, which matches 2010 for the fewest through four games in team history.
7. A real sleeper: On Tuesday, edge rusher Nate Lynn worked out and took a nap. When he woke up, he had 20 messages on his phone, including messages from his mother, his agent and the Jets, who wanted to sign him to the 53-man roster.
"I rushed over there with a smile on my face and was able to sign," said Lynn, who had been a member of the practice squad.
Lynn was one of the feel-good stories of the preseason. He was a mid-camp addition and wound up making three sacks in two preseason games, enough to win a job on the practice squad. Braiden McGregor's season-ending pectoral injury opened a spot on the active roster.
8. A what-if story: In January 2021, there was media speculation about the Jets' possible interest in Watson.
At the time, he had requested a trade from the Houston Texans. It wasn't reported back then, but then-general manager Joe Douglas did have interest in Watson, according to a person familiar with the situation. A serious pursuit never materialized, though.
That March was the beginning of nearly 30 civil lawsuits by women accusing Watson of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct -- and Watson sat out of the 2021 season.
Douglas went in a different direction, trading Sam Darnold and drafting Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick that year. That, of course, didn't work out.
9. Still standing: The sudden retirement of Philadelphia Eagles tackle Lane Johnson leaves only eight active players from the 2013 draft. One of them is Jets quarterback Geno Smith, the second-highest drafted player still playing. The highest is tight end Zach Ertz (No. 35 overall). Smith was picked four spots later by the Jets.