Winners & Losers From My Time at Jets Training Camp (8/6): Geno Smith Is Hot, Jason Sanders Is Not

Find out who stepped up and who left much to be desired on Thursday.

Geno Smith was one of the biggest winners from the Jets' training camp practice on Thursday. Who else joins him? | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — In nearly one week, the Jets will take the field for the first time in game action with their preseason opener against the Buccaneers.

Until that time, though, the Jets will continue to prepare the roster for the grueling marathon that is the 2026 regular season. Just like in every practice before, there were plenty of standouts and players who didn't have the best day.

It's always important to remember that winners and losers change by the day, and this should never be an indicator of who is in a bad spot beyond the practice. With that said, let's get to it.

Winner: Geno Smith

With the Jets opting to work primarily in the red zone today, there was one clear winner on both sides of the ball.

Starting quarterback Geno Smith.

Smith was in command throughout practice and picked apart the defense. In the first red-zone drill, he threw touchdowns on two of his first three throws, and each was a thing of beauty, dropping dimes to Garrett Wilson and Adonai Mitchell with plenty of space to complete the grab.

Starting unit has scored multiple times in this red zone drill. Very encouraging day in that regard. Geno, in particular, has been very good with his decision making.#Jets

— Nick “Mike Farrell” Faria (@Nick_Faria1720) August 6, 2026

He's still a quarterback who will put the ball in harm's way, but if Smith plays this season like he did today, the Jets are going to win a lot more games than people expect.

Loser: Cade Klubnik

While New York's starting quarterback was excellent today, their rookie signal-caller was anything but.

Cade Klubnik was picked off on a bad throw and read early in camp and struggled in red-zone drills. There were also a couple of times he bailed from a clean pocket and seemed unsure of where to go with the ball at times.

Cade Klubnik must prove that Thursday's practice was just one bad day and that he'll bounce back at the next opportunity. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Overall, Klubnik has had a good camp and has definitely deserved the opportunity to fight for the backup quarterback role. But just as all rookies have good and bad days at camp, this was probably the Clemson product's worst day.

Winners: Josh Myers/Joe Tippmann

What a day for the Jets' offensive line. The interior had been beaten several times over the last week, but the combination of Josh Myers and Joe Tippmann was great on Thursday. They opened big running lanes and allowed Smith time to dissect the opposing defense.

They were moving bodies up and down the field. If both players played like they did today, this Jets offensive line is going to be one of the best in football, and the unit will certainly be one of the most exciting as well.

Loser: David Bailey

People will be surprised by David Bailey's standing here. After all, he did record another multi-sack practice, and his motor is ridiculously high.

All of this is true, but as a second overall pick, Bailey will need to be more than just a situational rusher. He'll also need to be an every-down player who can defend the run as well as the pass. While he has improved in his run defense this camp, today might've been the worst day of it.

Mason Taylor washed Bailey out of a play that resulted in a Braelon Allen touchdown run. For as fast as Bailey is, he should never be beaten on blocks by the tight end. He also kept going upfield, as well which allowed for huge running lanes for Breece Hall as well.

Bailey did have a good rep in an option run play, but again, the inconsistency is there in run defense. It will need to improve drastically.

Winner: Arian Smith

The outlook on Arian Smith is simple: he's extremely fast and runs good routes but doesn't have the kind of hands NFL teams are looking for in receivers that get playing time. Early on in camp, it looked like more of the same from the Georgia standout. While he's gotten open plenty of times, he's also dropped several catches he's needed to make.

Thursday was not one of those days, though.

Arian Smith had a strong practice on Thursday. Will he capitalize on his momentum moving forward? | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Smith was very good in one-on-ones and caught everything his way while beating different corners off the ball. Today was the kind of day that proved a role could be had for Smith in this offense... if he were more consistent.

Loser: Jason Sanders

Through the first week of training camp, it seemed like the Jets' kicking battle was a highly competitive one, with both Jason Sanders and Cade York both playing well. Either player seemed deserving of the starting role.

That seemed to be continuing early on in practice, with Sanders making all of his kicks and York missing one from long range.

Then the end of Thursday's practice came, and both players struggled. While they were both kicking into the wind, only York missed a single one. Sanders, meanwhile, missed three times in a frustrating end to the day.

It's not going to be something the team looks kindly on.

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