Cooper Is Back on the Practice Field. The Offense Is Still a Mess.

Omar Cooper Jr. returning to practice is a small piece of good news for a receiver room that has had very little of it. He remains on injured reserve, so there's no timetable yet, but the fact that he's moving around again matters when Adonai Mitchell is doubtful and Garrett Wilson is the only healthy name at the top of the depth chart worth leaning on.

The wider offensive picture is harder to spin. Breece Hall is doubtful, which has become a recurring status for the Jets' best skill player — I noted back in early October that the backfield was already scraping the bottom with Isaiah Davis and Braelon Allen carrying the load. Hall's groin has been a concern since August, and the doubtful tag this late in the year suggests it hasn't fully resolved. Mitchell's continued absence compounds things at receiver; Isaiah Williams is the next name on the depth chart behind Wilson, which is a significant drop in proven production.

The honest read here is that the Jets won't know what this offense actually is until Hall is healthy, Mitchell is healthy, and Geno Smith has had enough time in the system to make something of it. Right now too many of the pieces are either unavailable or untested together. Cooper coming back eventually helps the room. It doesn't fix the room.