New York, NY
The New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent two days trading shoves, coverage battles and trash talk at the Jets’ practice fields in Florham Park this week, and the physical tone of those joint sessions carries into Friday night, when the two teams meet for real at MetLife Stadium in each club’s preseason opener.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the game airing nationally on NBC and streaming through Fubo. It marks the first live game action of the summer for both rosters, giving head coach Aaron Glenn his first outside look at a Jets team he has spent camp reshaping, and giving Tampa Bay a chance to see how a deep, veteran roster translates against an opponent instead of itself.
Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices were competitive from the start. Several scuffles broke out between the two sides, a common byproduct of padded joint work between division-caliber rosters trying to establish an edge before the games start to count. Buccaneers tackle Luke Goedeke, who was involved in some of the sideline dust-ups, said afterward that he does not back down from confrontation but that the team is careful not to let it derail the practice work itself.
Jets Standouts: Membou, Taylor and Thomas
According to the Jets’ official reporting on the practices, three players separated themselves over the two days.
Right tackle Armand Membou brought an edge to nearly every rep, engaging in a running battle with Tampa Bay outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. that went back and forth across both sessions. Running back Breece Hall described Membou as a player who visibly changes gears once the whistle blows, a trait the second-year lineman will lean on as he heads into a bigger role up front.
Tight end Mason Taylor continued to build on a strong camp, catching multiple touchdowns from quarterback Geno Smith during red-zone seven-on-seven work on Wednesday. Glenn has praised Taylor’s work ethic and said he expects the second-year tight end to take a step forward this season, a notable projection given how heavily offensive coordinator Frank Reich’s scheme is expected to lean on the position.
Cornerback Azareye’h Thomas was the Jets’ most disruptive defensive back against the Buccaneers, breaking up passes in both seven-on-seven and full team periods. His biggest moment came Wednesday, when he denied a red-zone connection between Baker Mayfield and tight end Cade Otton. Thomas, who finished his rookie season on injured reserve after shoulder surgery, said he feels stronger physically than he did before the procedure. Jets defensive coordinator Brian Duker said he has been pleased with the corner’s progress in one-on-one drills.
Buccaneers Also Had Bright Spots
Tampa Bay’s own reporting from the joint sessions pointed to a strong week from its pass rush, with Bain Jr. and outside linebacker David Walker both drawing praise for consistently disrupting the Jets’ protection schemes. Running back Kenneth Gainwell broke off an explosive run during Wednesday’s work, and Otton produced several catches before Thomas’s pass breakup limited the tight end late in the session.
The joint practices also functioned as an early test of Tampa Bay’s expected starting offensive line, a group the Buccaneers plan to field with Tristan Wirfs, Goedeke, Cody Mauch, Ben Bredeson and center Graham Barton. That unit’s ability to hold up against the Jets’ front will carry more weight once the games start counting in September, but the joint work offered a preview of how it might fare against playoff-caliber pressure.
What to Expect Friday Night
Neither team is expected to lean heavily on its top quarterback in the opener. Baker Mayfield is not slated to play, which should open extended snaps for backup Connor Bazelak as Tampa Bay sorts out its depth behind him. The Jets, meanwhile, are using the preseason slate as their first game evaluation under Glenn, with roster battles at multiple positions still unresolved heading into the year’s first cutdown on August 30, when teams must trim from 90 players to the 53-man regular-season limit.
Both sides are also managing injuries that could shape Friday’s game plan. Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka has been working through a lower-body issue but returned to practice this week. On the Jets’ side, a rookie first-round pick is dealing with a hernia injury that is expected to sideline him for a few weeks of practice time, though Glenn has expressed optimism he will be ready for the regular season. A separate Jets player is dealing with a knee injury that is expected to keep him out for several weeks, according to a report from the New York Daily News.
Why It Matters
Preseason openers rarely reveal much about a team’s regular-season outlook, but this one carries extra intrigue given how much contact and competitiveness spilled over from the joint practices. For the Jets, Friday is an early opportunity to see whether standouts like Membou, Taylor and Thomas can carry padded-practice momentum into a game setting. For the Buccaneers, it is a first live look at a roster built to contend in the NFC South, minus the players Tampa Bay is holding back until the games matter more.
Both teams will treat the result itself as secondary. What coaches on each sideline will be watching closely is whether the young players who stood out this week, and the veterans working through minor injuries, can translate practice-field performance into a clean, competitive night of football at MetLife Stadium.
