Ever since Justin Fields got to New York, it feels like the Jets have been wrapping him in bubble wrap. And yeah, fair enough—you’ve got to protect your QB. But lately, it’s felt less like caution and more like an overly safe, vanilla offense. They’re basically keeping the car in neutral, and it’s holding Fields back.

You can see it plain as day if you watch the training camp tapes—just quick slants, little dump-offs, and short screens. Nothing that really lets Fields open up and launch it downfield. And the Jets’ idea of ‘taking it easy’ with Justin Fields? Well, Garrett Wilson clearly didn’t get the memo.

Fields’s WR1 seems dead set on making life as hard as possible for both himself and his quarterback. In a clip posted by the Jets’ official X account, Sauce Gardner was locking down pretty much everything Fields threw at Wilson. As much as it frustrated Fields, Wilson was loving it. “Me & Justin need those reps. It ain’t gonna get harder than going against you,” he told Gardner.

Yes, these reps are gold. You’re talking about going up against Sauce Gardner, a two-time first-team All-Pro. That’s about as tough as it gets. If Fields can squeeze completions into that kind of coverage, the stuff he sees on Sundays is going to feel a whole lot easier.

There’s a bigger picture to all of this. The camp notes keep hitting the same points. Fields has had some up-and-down days: a few forced throws, a little hesitation here and there. And the Jets are trying to get him in a groove while they figure out who, besides Garrett Wilson, can win on the outside. It’s a tricky balance: push too hard and you risk turnovers; play too safe and defenses never have to respect the deep shot.

There’s a little chess game going on with the personnel, too. Garrett Wilson’s already set the bar high. Back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start his career, insane. So he’s basically the cheat code for getting Fields’ timing right. The Jets keep putting them together in 1-on-1s and red-zone work to fast-track that chemistry.

And the clips they post? Wilson vs. Sauce in release drills, tight red-zone footwork, contested-catch battles, it’s all proof of concept. If Fields can figure out how to throw Wilson open against this guy, the NFC East corners are going to feel like a step down. And given the uncertainty around Tyrod Taylor, Fields needs to step up.

Jets bring in veteran QBs amid uncertainty about Taylor

The Jets aren’t just banking on good vibes and ‘Fields’s potential’ in the QB room. With Tyrod Taylor sidelined after a preseason knee procedure, they’ve been giving depth snaps to a pretty untested group. So this week, Aaron Glenn kicked the tires on vets CJ Beathard and Nathan Peterman.

Totally a practical move with two games in eight days and a starter still learning the offense. It’s not about threatening Fields’s job at all. It’s about making sure the offense has a safety net so the staff can stick to the long-term plan for him.

Depth matters here. ESPN’s depth chart still has Fields as the clear QB1, Tyrod Taylor right behind him, and then a couple of young guys rounding out the room. Fields is the guy, and they’re focused on getting the pieces around him right.

Bringing in vets is just smart roster upkeep: it keeps practice running smoothly, gives you extra preseason reps, and makes sure you’re not forced to choose between protecting Fields and testing out the scheme.

There’s a sneaky bonus here, too: a veteran backup can run the same plays at full speed, which means Garrett Wilson, Malachi Corley, and the tight ends get cleaner reps against the second-string corners while Justin Fields is out there doing grad-school-level reads against Sauce and the starting defense.