Jets training camp report: Geno Smith connects with Garrett Wilson early and often as special teams kicking battle heats up

The New York Jets’ Friday practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center offered two themes to monitor as training camp moves deeper into its grind. First, quarterback Geno Smith was repeatedly on target early and consistently in his connections with wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Second, the Jets used the same day to continue shaping their special teams identity, with Special Teams Coordinator Chris Banjo providing an update on the kicking battle as the team approaches more intense evaluation periods.

According to the team’s practice report, Friday’s session marked the Jets’ seventh practice of training camp and featured a 90-minute workout without pads. The absence of live tackling changed the texture of the practice, putting a premium on execution, spacing, and timing, especially in passing and skill-position drills. It also meant players could work through details that coaches and coordinators typically emphasize before full-contact days.

The report also noted that three Jets defensive veterans had the day off, leaving the focus on team periods and individual reps from the players available. Even with that rotation, the offense’s rhythm stood out in how Smith and Wilson continued to connect. The language in the report was specific: Smith found Wilson early and often, a pattern that matters in camp because early timing often translates to reliable routes and trust before full-speed coverage cues fully lock in.

Wilson, as the Jets’ top receiver, is the kind of target teams build a weekly rhythm around. When a quarterback consistently hits a primary option during camp, it can help set the standard for the rest of the passing game, including how quickly other receivers work their routes and how often the quarterback is willing to put the ball in a window rather than checking it down. Friday’s report suggested that the Wilson-Smith connection was not a one-off moment, but a repeated theme during practice.

While the offense received plenty of attention through the Smith-to-Wilson focus, the Jets’ special teams segment also carried weight. Banjo, the special teams coordinator, addressed the kicking battle and framed it as an active competition rather than a closed issue. Training camp kicking competitions are rarely decided on one rep or one day, but the process itself is significant: it shows how the coaching staff is evaluating reliability, leg strength on different types of kicks, and the ability to operate consistently under the mental pressure of a competition.

The kicking battle update matters because it reaches beyond the obvious role of field goals. A kicker’s performance can affect kickoff approach and timing decisions, which in turn influence coverage alignments and return-team planning. Even in a no-pads practice, special teams units can still work on situational patterns, communication, and the coordination between the kicker and coverage team, all of which are part of building a dependable unit before preseason games begin to tell the final story.

As the Jets continue camp, the combination of a recurring connection at wide receiver and ongoing evaluation at kicker sets up what to watch next: whether Smith and Wilson maintain that timing as defenses tighten coverage, and whether the kicking battle produces clearer separation as reps become more game-like. With Friday’s practice designed around execution in a controlled setting, the next steps will likely come as the team adds intensity and compresses the margin for error.