Jets Rumors: Todd Downing Eyes Offense Starting 'Faster' After Replacing Hackett

As the New York Jets prepare for their first game with Todd Downing as offensive coordinator on Sunday, one thing to keep an eye on will be how the unit plays coming out of the gate.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the expectation for the Jets' offense under Downing is a "faster" start after ranking 25th in first-quarter scoring in the first five weeks this season with Nathaniel Hackett calling plays.

Downing was part of New York's coaching shake up this week that started with head coach Robert Saleh being fired and replaced by defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on an interim basis.

Ulbrich announced on Thursday that Downing was taking over as offensive play-caller, but Hackett will remain on the staff in an undisclosed role.

Fowler noted that the Jets are planning to get play-calls in faster with improved efficiency on first down, possibly by incorporating more play-action into the mix.

The biggest challenge here will be getting Aaron Rodgers to buy in with a coach he knows because Downing has been on the staff since February 2023, but may not have the same relationship with that he did Hackett.

Rodgers has a history of pushing back against coaches to run the system that he wants. He's been great when he fully buys in to a coach and system, like he finally did starting in Matt LaFleur's second season as head coach of the Green Bay Packers, resulting in him winning back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and '21.

The 40-year-old has also talked in the past about not liking pre-snap motion because he feels "it's hard to get tempo going." While that may be true, it can also lead to a very static and predictable offense that opposing coaches and shut down.

Per The Athletic's Ted Nguyen, the Jets rank 22nd in play-action rate and 28th in motion rate so far this season.

This leads to another issue, which is trying to figure out whether or not Rodgers is still capable of playing at a high level. The future Hall of Famer doesn't have to be elite because the Jets' defense is good enough to keep them in games, but he has to be better than he's been so far.

Per ESPN's Ben Solak, the Jets' offense ranks 19th in success rate and 22nd in EPA per play through five games.

Out of 34 quarterbacks who are on pace for at least 200 attempts this season, Rodgers ranks 30th in yards per attempt (6.0). He is ahead of only Bo Nix (5.2), Jacoby Brissett (5.2), Deshaun Watson (4.8) and Bryce Young (4.8).

Downing's most recent season as an offensive play-caller was during the 2022 season with the Tennessee Titans. That was a limited unit because of the personnel after A.J. Brown was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles during the offseason, but they ran the ball on 58.6 percent of plays with motion.

That rate will likely be dramatically different with the Jets because of Rodgers, but if Downing can at least get the mercurial quarterback to buy in, this offense should look better than it has so far.

The new-look Jets with Ulbrich as interim head coach and Downing as offensive play-caller will get their first test on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.