Post-trade deadline Jets take on Browns in early 2026 showcase

Welcome to the 2026 Jets preseason. 

The team effectively told everyone this week that it was turning to the future with the trades of star defensive players Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams.

The rest of this season, starting with Sunday’s game against the Browns, now becomes about evaluating the roster to see who should stick around for next year. 

The Jets are 1-7 and going nowhere in 2025. But now the franchise has five first-round picks in the next two years and the ammunition to land a franchise quarterback.

That’s not going to help on Sunday against the Browns, no matter how much general manager Darren Mougey and coach Aaron Glenn talk about winning this year still being a priority. 

Still, the Jets have nine games left this season. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks put it best. 

“They’re not cancelling the damn season, so we’ve got to press and move forward and get ready to play a football game,” Wilks said. 

The Jets and Browns are both coming off a bye week. The Jets won their first game of the season before the bye, a dramatic 39-38 comeback victory over the Bengals.

They are hoping they can build off that win, when their offense showed more signs of life than it had in weeks. 

The Browns are 2-6 and undergoing changes of their own. Head coach Kevin Stefanski gave playcalling duties over to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees this week.

The Browns are starting rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders is waiting behind him and is healthy this week after being in street clothes in their previous game. 

It will be interesting to see how the Jets players respond after such a wild week. Gardner and Williams were extremely popular players, and Williams was the leader of the defense. The locker room seemed shocked after the trades went down.

The team also benched linebacker Quincy Williams, Quinnen’s brother, another major shakeup on the defense. 

“This is a game that’s our total focus, that we’re on this game, and for the most part the guys are upbeat, ready to go, just like they’ve always been each week, and we’re looking forward to playing this team,” Glenn said. “So, we’re looking for, again, to win.”