Jets looking for a ‘sizable jump’ from AD Mitchell

Cooper played extensively in the Jets’ first preseason game, prompting The Athletic’s Zach Rosenblatt to write that WR Isaiah Williams appeared to have overtaken Cooper for the starting slot receiver job. This week, Cooper out-snapped WR Isaiah Williams six to one on the first drive. Williams continued playing on the second drive before rotating with Cooper on the third. PFF’s Nathan Jahnke notes that when Cooper returned, he lined up out wide while Williams manned the slot. Williams caught 3-of-5 targets for 17 yards and one fumble, though it was recovered by the Jets. It appears as though Cooper may have regained his spot as the Jets’ WR3 behind WR1 Garrett Wilson and WR2 Adonai Mitchell. Cooper still makes for a risky late-round dart throw, but he will get more chances to contribute.

Per Cimini, Jets coaches thought Mitchell would take a leap this offseason, but he managed to exceed their expectations. Mitchell has reportedly “displayed a firm grasp of the new system,” while showing off his vertical speed and building chemistry with QB Geno Smith. Mental gaffes have been Mitchell’s biggest developmental issue. If he really has figured out that aspect of the game, Mitchell should return usable, if volatile FLEX numbers this season.

Rosenblatt said in early June that Mitchell would have a shot to become a “crucial piece” of the team’s offense. Mitchel highlights have poured out of Jets OTAs over the past couple weeks as the third-year wideout looks to carve out a role in the New York passing offense. Mitchell over eight games with the Jets in 2025 had 301 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s WR2. He was an air yards dominator from Week 11-18 with the Jets; only Michael Wilson had more air yards than Mitchell over that span. “I just want to be in a room that he’s in because he’s going to light up the room,” Jets OC Frank Reich said, adding that Mitchell can “complement” Garrett Wilson. “First of all, just with his mentality, he’s got this winning mentality, this positive vibe about him, and I think we all feel that on the field.” With enough confidence from Geno, Mitchell could be an exciting if volatile fantasy option in 2026.

This comes almost a month after Rosenblatt said he believed Mitchell felt “pretty locked into the No. 2 receiver role.” The 23-year-old receiver spent part of last season with the Jets after being traded from the Colts at last year’s deadline. Mitchell saw 58 targets come his way in eight games with the Jets last season and posted a 24-301-2 line while going for 50-plus yards in two of those games. The upgrade from Brady Cook to Geno Smith should work wonders for Mitchell as far as target quality is concerned, and he’s reportedly shown good chemistry with Smith during OTAs. Currently going as a late-round draft pick in best ball leagues, Mitchell has the chance to be a nice value in deeper fantasy leagues if he can earn a meaningful role opposite Garrett Wilson.

Omar Cooper Jr. is primarily a slot player, and the Jets didn’t bring in real competition at outside receiver for Mitchell. That doesn’t necessarily mean big things are afoot for Mitchell’s fantasy value — between Cooper and Kenyon Sadiq, there would appear to be more mouths to feed in an offense that starved many last year — but it does mean he should at least see the majority of the snaps this year.

Mitchell finishes the season with 33 receptions on 71 targets for 453 yards and two touchdowns. The vast majority of that production came with the Jets after the trade deadline, posting 24 catches on 56 targets for 301 yards and two touchdowns in eight games. While he likely wasn’t as consistent as the Jets wanted, Mitchell did flash enough upside to be an intriguing part of a 2026 wide receiver corps alongside a healthy Garrett Wilson. Until the Jets upgrade at quarterback, it’s hard to want to target Mitchell in 2026 drafts as he figures to be behind Wilson in the pecking order.

Mitchell easily led the Jets in targets, racking up a 26 percent target share. He undoubtedly saw plenty of air yards as well, but Brady Cook was unable to connect with him on many of their deep shots. Cook’s only interception of the day came on a heave to Mitchell down the left sideline. Cook simply didn’t have the arm to get it to Mitchell and a New England defender fielded the ball like an outfielder. Mitchell will get one more shot at converting his air yards to receiving yards in Week 18 versus the Bills.

Mitchell once again led the Jets in air yards and targets in the check down-centric offense led by QB Brady Cook, who was sacked eight times against the Saints and rarely had time to let downfield routes to develop for Mitchell. With 33 targets over the past four weeks, Mitchell has some appeal as a WR4 option. If Tyrod Taylor were to get the starting nod in Week 17 against the Patriots, Mitchell would have much more upside than he’s had with the popgun-armed Cook.

Mitchell’s second touchdown in three weeks was a nine-yard strike from Brady Cook in the second quarter. It was an end zone laser where Mitchell displayed sure hands. All three of Mitchell’s catches, targets and yards were his second most as a Jet since arriving from Indianapolis. Good stuff, but this is probably about his ceiling right now with Gang Green down to its No. 3 quarterback. We have no idea who will be under center for Week 16 in New Orleans, but Cook is probably the favorite. Mitchell will be a passable WR4 no matter who gets the call.

That makes two missed practices for Taylor. Brutal. The rookie tight end led the team in targets (eight) just last week and leads the team across the full season with 64. Theoretically, his potential absence would put more work on WR Adonai Mitchell’s plate, though Mitchell flopped by catching just 1-of-6 targets for 24 yards last week and he could be stuck catching passes from QB Brady Cook in Week 15 against the Jaguars.