My take—and it’s bold—is this: The Jets’ O-line will be the difference between the team winning the AFC East and extending a 13-year postseason drought, the longest among teams competing in America’s four major sports.
On Saturday, the Jets held a public “Green and White” scrimmage at Florham Park. The event allowed fans to see how Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers would fare against a quality Jets defense. He did well, too, completing 19 of 30 passes for 210 yards on drives of 11 and 17 plays. Rodgers took 42 snaps, all told.
Yes, it was encouraging, but fans need to keep in mind that the defense did not go all in on Rodgers as it would against opposing quarterbacks. So, the bigger question is whether Rodgers can hold up for an entire season. After all, he’s 40 years old and was lost for the season in 2023 in the first game of the year.
That tells us how important it is for the Jets to get quality and consistent play out of the offensive line. Yes, we can talk about Rodgers’ health, which is essential, but if the offensive line struggles again and Rodgers gets hurt, it will be another lost season, just like last year. On the flip side, if the line makes Rodgers’ job easy, he will have a great year.
And here’s the thing: the offensive line has been a problem under General Manager Joe Douglas. That’s headline news, too, because building an offensive line helped him get the GM job. He hasn’t had much success, even though it’s not for lack of trying.
He hoped Mekhi Becton would have been a foundation piece to that offensive line, but Becton was not productive and injury-prone. Now, he is a Philadelphia Eagle trying to find himself. Plus, the Jets used 12 lineups to field an offensive line last season. Part of the shifting was due to issues with Becton, Laken Tomlinson, Duane Brown, and Max Mitchell, and another part of it was injuries suffered by Alijah Vera-Tucker, Connor McGovern, and Brown.
Once again, Douglas hopes to say eureka in assembling an offensive line. He signed Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses in the offseason based on their successful pedigree at that position. Douglas also hopes Vera-Tucker can hold up for 16 games after having his season cut short for two straight seasons and that Joe Tippmann, last year’s second-round pick, continues to build on a fine rookie season.
On the downside, Smith and Moses are in their 30s, so who knows how long they will last? The Jets ran into the same problem with Brown last season. Even though the Jets hoped he had something left, he was past his prime, and that may be the case with the Jets’ new two offensive linemen.
What’s the bottom line? The offensive line is more of an if than a sure thing, and that’s not a good situation to be in.
This explains why Jets fans need to be more cautious than optimistic about their team’s chances of making the playoffs. They will need to see it to believe it, and it will likely take two months of play before they get a definitive answer. But an early take will come in the first game of the season to see how the Jets’ O-line does against a great, physical 49ers defensive line. It would be a success if they could keep Rodgers in one piece at the game’s end.
It would also be nice if this year’s first-round pick, Olu Fashanu, develops quickly. He will be a backup to start the season, but if he can play in the preseason, he could be in the lineup later.
On paper, the Jets have an incredible roster. We know they are loaded defensively. Plus, the team has an excellent running game and plenty of good receivers with whom Rodgers can work. The only question mark is the offensive line, which has been a problem for a decade.
My take—and it’s bold—is this: The Jets’ O-line will be the difference between the team winning the AFC East and extending a 13-year postseason drought, the longest among teams competing in America’s four major sports.
