The Jets’ offense has been inconsistent over the first two weeks of the regular season, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers has shown with his throws that he is still capable of throwing the ball like he has in the past.

What was less clear was whether Rodgers could still escape the pocket as well as he did before his Achilles tendon tear. He provided the answer to that question on the second play of Thursday night’s game against the Patriots. Rodgers evaded pass rushers and ran five yards for a first down. That began a night in which he ran a total of 18 yards three times.

Rodgers also made 6 of 6 shots from outside the pocket and head coach Robert Saleh said this was a good sign that Rodgers had regained his full potential.

“Yeah, the cool thing was he showed the agility that we’ve seen throughout training camp,” Saleh said, according to a team transcript. “Like I said, he may not be what he once was, but he still has a lot of leg strength, his arm is still 30 and his mind is still working at a high level. He was definitely impressive today.”

Thursday night was a showcase for what the Jets hoped to see when they signed Rodgers ahead of the 2023 season. The move was delayed by injury, but if it’s a sign of things to come, better late than never.