The NFL normally doesn't unveil the full regular-season schedule until the first two weeks of April, and with this year's coronavirus complications, who knows when the 2020 sked reveal will be?
But the opponents for each team are known, and while the Jets have been retooling different positions during unrestricted free agency, upcoming foes have been changing their rosters (such as the Patriots, who lost QB Tom Brady to the Buccaneers). Here are capsules on some of the biggest comings and goings among the 13 NFL opponents who will put the Jets to the test 16 times come this fall:
AFC EAST
Buffalo: Stefon Diggs, whose 5-year receiving averages with Minnesota were 73 catches, 925 yards and 6 TDs, brings his top WR skills to Buffalo for QB Josh Allen and his offense to utilize. The defense added at all three levels — on the DL with end Mario Addison and tackle Vernon Butler (with Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips departing), A.J. Klein at LB to replace retiring Lorenzo Alexander, and corner Josh Norman to pair with CB Tre'Davious White.
Miami: The Dolphins have been spending freely to restock their defense. Two of the signees are quite familiar to Jets fans: LB Kyle Van Noy from New England and DE Shaq Lawson from Buffalo. Two others are well-known in the league: CB Byron Jones from Dallas, DE Emmanuel Ogbah from Kansas City. RB Jordan Howard heads south from Philadelphia to take handoffs from Ryan Fitzpatrick or Josh Rosen.
New England: TB has gone to TB, and we tend to think the new Patriots starter is not likely to come from among the re-signed Brian Hoyer, second-year man Jarrett Stidham, or journeyman Cody Kessler. Will WR Damiere Byrd, flying in from Arizona, help Pats fans forget the flight of Phillip Dorsett to Seattle? On D, it's been LB musical chairs — gone are Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins and Elandon Roberts, newly arrived is Brandon Copeland from the Jets. And K Stephen Gostkowski has been released.
AFC WEST
Denver: RB Melvin Gordon makes an intradivision move from the Chargers to the Broncos, in a way making up for a name defender moving in the opposite direction, CB Chris Harris moving from the Broncos to the Chargers. The biggest pricetag in the Rockies belonged to G Graham Glasgow, who swaps DET for DEN and takes up the interior OL slack after the departure of C Connor McGovern from the Broncos to the Jets.
Kansas City: The Super Bowl winners have been lying low in free agency so far. As with most champs, the Chiefs have lost some contributors to their title — CB Kendall Fuller to Washington, DE Emmanuel Ogbah to Miami and OL Stefen Wisniewski to Pittsburgh. The main signings have been lower-end: a few former Giants, RT Mike Remmers and CB Antonio Hamilton. Ex-Jets DE Mike Pennel is reported to be re-signing with KC.
Las Vegas: The new team in Sin City has been placing bets and rolling dice in free agency. Among the acquisitions on defense: ILB Cory Littleton , DE Carl Nassib, DT Maliek Collins and CB Eli Apple. Offensively, QB Marcus Mariota has already reminded Silver & Black fans, "This is Derek Carr's team." And TE Jason Witten is set to continue his incredible career with his 17th NFL season — and his first not wearing the Dallas star.
L.A. Chargers: The name on the starting QB's jersey will not be Rivers for the first time since 2005. Will the Chargers starter now be Tyrod Taylor, or a QB not yet on the L.A. scene? The biggest arrivals were trench denizens — Bryan Bulaga from Green Bay at RT, Linval Joseph at DT from Minnesota — plus, as mentioned for Denver above, CB Chris Harris, new to the Chargers secondary following 20 INTs over 9 years with the Broncos.
AFC NORTH
Cleveland: The Jets and Browns will meet for the sixth straight season, with the past two years coming in primetime. Baker Mayfield, 2-0 vs. the Jets (relief win in '18, starting win last year), will lead CLE back to MetLife, including new offensive signees TE Austin Hooper (from Atlanta) and T Jack Conklin (who chose the Browns over the Jets). The defensive side did lose ILB Joe Schobert to Jacksonville.
AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis: The Jets won't face Philip Rivers for the seventh time as Chargers QB but they will be in line to improve to 3-4 against him as the Colts' new signal-caller in Lucas Oil Stadium. However, the Horseshoes lost potential Rivers targets TE Eric Ebron to the Steelers and WR Devin Funchess to the Packers. Former Indy CB Pierre Desir and G Josh Andrews are now Jets.
NFC WEST
Arizona: DeAndre Hopkins, the Houston WR who Nuk'd the Jets for 15 catches, 288 yards and 4 TDs in the Texans' wins in '15 and '18, will try to do it again, this time teaming up with second-year QB Kyler Murray at MetLife. DT Jordan Phillips, who's played 10 games vs. the Green & White as a member of the Dolphins and, the past two years, the Bills, is the Cards' big-ticket UFA acquisition so far.
L.A. Rams: The new-logo Rams will have a change at RB with Todd Gurley heading for Atlanta. The LA defense has had a big-ticket swap, adding Leonard Floyd at OLB (for ATL-bound Dante Fowler), while another exchange — A'Shawn Robinson replacing Michael Brockers at DT — was altered when Brockers and Baltimore couldn't agree on contract terms and he was re-signed by LA.
San Francisco: The NFC champs have been fairly quiet in the early FA going. And the action has been on the offensive side of the ball as WR Travis Benjamin comes to Northern California from Southern Cali and the Chargers to replace Emmanuel Sanders, heading for New Orleans. Also, TE Levine Toilolo is out, signing with the Giants, while G Tom Compton will return to MetLife Stadium, this time not as a Jet but as a Niner.
Seattle: Coach Pete Carroll and the 'Hawks added a weapon to QB Russell Wilson's arsenal with the signing of sixth-year WR Phillip Dorsett, dangerous despite modest numbers (73 catches, 881 yards, 8 TDs) the last three years with the Patriots. There could be multiple O-line jersey swaps after this year's game at CenturyLink Field: RT Brandon Shell left the Jets for Seattle while Seahawks T George Fant signed on with the Jets as a UFA.
