WATCH: Highlights from Jets' first padded practice

Yahoo

5 days ago

The vibes seemed a lot cheerier around the New York Jets on Monday as they practiced with pads on for the first time in this year's training camp. There was another first in Monday's practice, and that was a live tackling drill run by head coach Aaron Glenn himself.
Teams don't really do live tackling in training camp anymore and, according to Jets insider Rich Cimini, the last time the Jets did something similar was in the Rex Ryan era. But Glenn wants his team to be tough, the kind of team that no one wants to play in December and January when the temperature drops below freezing and the hits hurt just a little bit more.
The rest of Monday's practice was business as usual. Quarterback Justin Fields was back in team drills, his injury scare from last week receding fast in the rearview mirror. The Jets social media team posted a highlight throw from Fields to rookie tight end Mason Taylor, who made a nice move after the catch, that should get Jets fans excited. Not for how pretty it was (the ball was actually rather wobbly), but for what it means for Fields.
Through his first four years in the NFL, one of the biggest problems in Fields' game has been targeting the middle of the field in the short to intermediate range. He's always been far more comfortable throwing to the sidelines or heaving the rock fifty yards downfield. That's his comfort zone, but that's not how winning quarterbacks thrive. Winning quarterbacks hit the middle of the field early and often. That's their bread and butter and it requires the quarterback to deliver strikes on time and in rhythm, often into windows no bigger than a mailbox.
It's encouraging to see Fields making that kind of throw in camp, and Jets fans have to hope that it translates consistently into games.
Another highlight came from second-year running back Braelon Allen. After taking the handoff from Fields, he makes a sharp cut to his right and hits the afterburns, reaching full speed almost immediately as he blows past the defense.
This clip will be sweet for the fans, but it should put running back Breece Hall on notice. He's under a metric ton of pressure to have a career year in 2025 or he may end up looking for a new team in 2026. Another mediocre year from Hall combined with a breakout season from Allen could spell the end for his tenure with the Jets.