Jets Are Leaving Geno Smith Exposed to the Blitz
New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith has been steadier than expected in clean pockets, but his difficulty handling blitzes has become a problem the offense must solve quickly. Locked On Jets host John Butchko argued the staff cannot keep treating pressure as solely a quarterback-execution issue when Smith’s weakness was evident before the season.
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Butchko said Smith has looked accurate and capable when protection holds up, yet he freezes too often when defenses bring extra rushers. He pointed to the quarterback’s low acquisition cost as evidence that the Jets knew they were accepting limitations along with his experience and clean-pocket ability.
The proposed fix is not to ask Smith to make more complicated pre-snap and post-snap adjustments. Butchko cited Jim Harbaugh’s work with Alex Smith in San Francisco as an example of a coach simplifying pressure answers by giving the quarterback a dependable outlet rather than a series of reads that change with every blitz look.
Screens, quick throws and built-in blitz beaters would give Geno Smith faster options while making opponents pay for overcommitting. Butchko said the Jets have capable candidates for that work, including running backs Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, plus wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., instead of allowing pressure packages to dictate possessions.
Butchko placed particular responsibility on offensive coordinator Frank Reich, saying the scheme has not adjusted enough to insulate Geno Smith from his most predictable trouble spot. The Jets do not need to remove every difficult throw from the game plan, but they need a clearer pressure plan before the Miami Dolphins can test the same vulnerability.
The Dolphins matchup gives the Jets an immediate chance to show whether Reich has added those answers. If Geno Smith continues to face free rushers without simple outlets, the offense risks turning a manageable quarterback limitation into its defining issue.
Jets News and Notes
– Butchko wants Breece Hall (quad) and Braelon Allen to work in a flexible 50-50 backfield when Hall returns. He views Allen as the better option for steady interior yardage and Hall as the more dangerous space and passing-down weapon.
– Butchko also said Jets running back Kene Nwangwu and wide receiver Isaiah Williams have not matched last season’s return-game impact. Their inability to consistently improve field position has contributed to a sizable special-teams drop-off, he said.
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This story was originally published October 23, 2026 at 1:45 AM.
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