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Coming off another divisional loss to the Patriots last Sunday, the Jets prepare for the first of back-to-back home games as the winless Dolphins come to town for a Week 7 clash at MetLife Stadium.
While this should be an opportunity for the Jets to get right and for head coach Aaron Glenn to correct some issues with his seat only getting hotter, getting healthy and not beating themselves will be key to avoiding the upset on Sunday.
The execution will have to wait until the game kicks off, but some positive news is already on the way in the form of Adonai Mitchell. Although ESPN's Rich Cimini confirmed on Friday that running back Breece Hall "will be limited in practice and will be listed as questionable, per Glenn," Mitchell was a full participant in practice and "will play Sunday" after missing four games with a finger injury.
Breece Hall will be limited in practice today and will be listed as questionable, per Glenn.
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) October 23, 2026
AD Mitchell is full practice and will play Sunday. He missed four games with a finger injury. #Jets
With rookie WR Omar Cooper Jr. having already returned from a high ankle sprain one week earlier, the top-three Jets wideouts will finally be on the field together for the first time since Week 1.
With that in mind, his upcoming return isn't good news for everyone. Here are two winners and one loser as Mitchell finally makes his return to the field this weekend.
One of Geno Smith's biggest weaknesses in his career has been turnovers, but he has made huge strides in that area in his return to Gotham. The veteran has thrown at least one touchdown in each of the last five games and only one interception, which took place in the Week 6 loss to the Patriots when the Jets had just got past midfield trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter.
Smith is averaging 7.5 yards per attempt and has not played poorly, but a 21st-ranked QBR (53.8) and lack of success in the red zone has been concerning. He's only 10-of-16 for 49 yards and two TDs from inside the 20, but his 2.9 yards per attempt speaks more to the coaching staff's reluctance to turn him loose and let him cook when points are within reach.
A lot of that has been without all three of his starting wideouts on the field, though.
Cooper, Mitchell and Garrett Wilson have only been on the field together for four Week 1 snaps, so the weapons have been lacking in the passing game. Now that all three of them will be at Smith's disposal against the Dolphins' 24th-ranked passing defense (26.4 ppg) and one that has also allowed the sixth-most yards per reception (7.8) this season.
Assuming he can have the time to throw, which has become an issue with the offensive line giving up at least three sacks in five of the six games, Smith could be poised for success against Miami as some more favorable matchups could present themselves with the top-three wideouts taking the field together.
With so many injuries taking place in the early going, the Jets had some holes to fill to account for those absences. One player who seemed to be in prime position to benefit was Isaiah Williams, who has primarily been a return specialist in his career.
Despite the rash of injuries, Williams has not done anything to help his case moving forward.
Williams received season-highs in targets (six) and receptions (six) in the Week 2 overtime loss to the Packers, but he also fumbled twice in that game and failed to deliver on the looks that were coming his way. Aside from that game, he has had no more than two catches in a single game this season after entering the season with high expectationsas someone who was viewed as the "heartbeat" of the offense.
Granted, Williams did haul in two catches for a season-high 73 yards in the Week 4 loss to the Bears, including a 58-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter (h/t NFL) that really gave the Jets their only spark of the game when the offensive was relatively nonexistent.
Isaiah Williams 58-yard TD!
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
NYJvsCHI on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/TRgGogeLyP
Williams is easily the biggest loser since he failed to capitalize on Mitchell's absence and is now looking at an even smaller role with the WR room healthier than ever.
Back to players who could benefit from Mitchell's return, look no further than the WR1.
While he has the ninth-most receptions (35) and 14th-most receptions (418), Garrett Wilson was only targeted twice in the first three quarters against the Patriots and has hardly been the focal point of Gang Green's game plan under offensive coordinator Frank Reich.
With Cooper coming off a sensational return after recording six catches for 103 yards and a TD, Wilson was already in position to be the Jets' biggest winner assuming Cooper's breakout carries over. If the rookie can continue to show that he is capable of going off for 100 yards on any given week, that alone would force opposing defenses to pay closer attention to him and take some of the attention off Wilson.
When you now include Mitchell in the mix, there is every reason to believe that Wilson could be a huge beneficiary. After all, the third-year WR has put up at least 60 yards in both games he has appeared in this season and has averaged 13.7 yards per reception. He has still not truly had a breakout performance since his eight-catch, 102-yard showing vs. the Falcons in Week 13 last season, but his availability should attract some additional attention and free up Wilson even more.
Keep in mind, Wilson has 39 catches for 436 yards and two TDs in seven all-time meetings against the Dolphins, so he is no stranger to having success against them. His frustration could eventually boil over if the Jets don't walk a fine line with his targets, but there is no doubt he is one of the biggest winners to emerge with Mitchell returning to the lineup.