Winning Sunday: 'That's the Only Focus in This Entire Building Right Now'
After Tuesday's trades, the Jets now hold five first-round draft selections in the next two drafts combined, prompting conversations about the future of the team. For GM Darren Mougey, though, the immediate goals of the team haven't changed.
"The focus is winning Sunday against the Browns," Mougey said Tuesday. "That's the only focus in this entire building right now."
DC Steve Wilks said it will be important "to press and move forward and get ready to play a football game," and part of that process includes other players stepping up. CBs Brandon Stephens and Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Jr., as well as rookies Azareye'h Thomas and Malachi Moore, are among those Wilks said he has "total confidence in" to make key plays. Thomas, who started his first pro game in Week 8, could get the start again on Sunday.
"I saw the toughness, the physicality, the competitive nature," Wilks said of the group. "We can win with that."
The defense will look to capitalize on opportunities against a Browns' offense that has recorded just 263.5 total yards per game, the second fewest in the league. But Wilks pointed to several offensive weapons that the Jets will have to contain, including RB Quinshon Judkins, TE David Njoku and WR Jerry Jeudy.
"Throwing the record out the window," Wilks said of how the team is approaching the matchup. "The Browns are a good football team. … We've got a tough task ahead of us this week and number one, it starts with stopping the run, the one thing that we struggled with the previous game."