After nine years of stability with Brant Boyer at the helm, the Jets introduced a new special teams coordinator last season and the results were immediate. Chris Banjo led a special teams group that was by far and away the Jets’ strongest unit.
The Jets posted the sixth best special teams DVOA of all time and ranked third in the NFL for composite special teams grade on Pro Football Focus.
The kicking game was solid, as Austin McNamara proved an incredible find and Nick Folk only missed one field goal
all season. However, the return game was arguably even better as the Jets averaged 30 yards per kickoff return and 13.4 yards per punt return with Kene Nwangwu and Isaiah Williams combining for three touchdowns. On top of all that, the team was stellar in coverage.
Today, let’s consider what needs to be replaced in terms of their special teams unit and whether any of the players the Jets already added in the offseason will help in this regard. We will then look at potential draft options later this week.
In terms of special teams contributors from last year, most of the players who saw the most action remain with the team. In fact, in terms of the 10 players with the highest special teams snap counts in 2025, only Isaiah Oliver and Cam Jones aren’t currently on the team.
Ja’Sir Taylor, a mid-season addition, who also played a significant role while in New York, was also not retained. Otherwise, though, the main contributors are all still with the team.
That’s a good sign in terms of continuity, although the Jets might be wise to invest further into Banjo’s unit in an effort to build on how well he did last year.
Under Boyer, the Jets seemed to fall into a pattern of having a good year on special teams, only to fail to consolidate in the following season and the resulting personnel downgrade would see the unit underperforming. It was as though Boyer would be punished for his unit doing well by seeing it neglected in favor of other priorities instead of the team making a concerted effort to optimize a strength.
Hopefully the Jets don’t intend to make the same mistake with Banjo, whose unit single-handedly kept a bad team in games at times last year and could theoretically become the difference between wins and losses on a more competitive team.
In addition to Oliver and Jones, two more players who were expected to be major special teamers last season were out of contract: Kris Boyd and Irv Charles.
In the case of Charles, his contract tolled because he missed the entire season as a pending restricted free agent, so he’ll be back. Boyd, who suffered a gunshot wound after already been ruled out with a season-ending injury, could be a consideration to return if he can get healthy.
The major loss, of course, is Folk, whose return to the Jets after almost a decade away was one of the feel-good stories of last season. His impressive season included a long game-winner against the Atlanta Falcons, who he just joined in free agency.
The kicker role seems like one where the Jets definitely need to find an upgrade and there are two obvious routes to that. One would be to draft a kicker and the other would be to wait until training camp and pick up the loser of any close position battle at that spot.
They currently have Lenny Krieg and Cade York under contract, so will hold out some hope that one of these can step up and prove themselves worthy.
York was signed after Folk’s departure but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is his replacement. He was a promising college prospect and was drafted in the fourth round in 2022. However, the Jets are already his seventh team after an inconsistent start to his career. He has a strong leg, though, and could be a late bloomer.
Little is known about Krieg, who has zero NFL experience and was brought in via the International Pathway Program. However, having discovered McNamara essentially out of nowhere, the Jets won’t be ruling out repeating the trick here.
McNamara’s spot is safe after an excellent first NFL season, and the return game is also replenished with Nwangwu re-signed and Williams – the team’s 2025 MVP – hoping to build on his first season with the Jets.
The rest of the special teams contributions required primarily entail blocking and kick coverage with the likes of Marcelino McCrary-Ball, Isaiah Davis and Qwan’tez Stiggers among those who played their part.
Of course, the fact that most of last year’s contributors are still with the team doesn’t guarantee they will be on the final roster. The Jets have improved their depth, bringing in some veterans who likely won’t play much, if at all, on special teams. They also need to find room on their roster for their 2026 draft class.
From the players they brought in, only one – Dane Belton – figures to provide a potential upgrade on special teams next season, but that’s still a solid pickup. Nahshon Wright, Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare also have plenty of special teams experience but with mixed results and limited production.
New York should be wary of landing themselves in a position where the overall strengthening of their roster leaves them decimated in terms of their special teams units. Banjo did an excellent job with his unit last year and the importance of giving him good enough personnel and adequate continuity to build on this should not be overlooked.
