Considerable scrutiny followed the Jets’ offensive line this offseason, and the team’s shaky tackle foundation crumbled early. After spending several months rehabbing his previous injury, Duane Brown has a new one and is on IR. That forced a shakeup that may have a long-term impact.
Tackle injuries last year prompted the Jets to slide Alijah Vera-Tucker from guard to right tackle. Vera-Tucker soon suffered a season-ending triceps tear, and the Jets moved him back to guard this offseason. Back at right tackle after Brown’s latest injury, Vera-Tucker has started two games there. The Jets are now looking into the USC product remaining there in the long term.
Robert Saleh said he has spoken to the third-year blocker about moving to right tackle on a full-time basis, SNY’s Connor Hughes notes. Indicating Vera-Tucker looks “natural” at right tackle, the Jets are contemplating a big move. Citing Vera-Tucker’s potential as an All-Pro guard, the Jets had wanted to keep the 2021 first-rounder at the position he was drafted to play. But AVT’s early performance at right tackle looks to be changing the organization’s thinking.
Brown’s injury led the Jets to shift Mekhi Becton from right to left tackle, returning the 2020 first-round pick to the position he had been eager to play again. While Becton is one of the NFL’s biggest injury risks, the slimmed-down tackle has been available for each game this season. The Jets then inserted second-round rookie Joe Tippmann into the lineup at right guard alongside center Connor McGovern. Laken Tomlinson remains at left guard.
Vera-Tucker played left tackle during his final USC season, the COVID-19-truncated 2020 slate, but worked as a Trojans starting guard in 2019. Brown sustained a hip injury in September and is out until at least Week 7. Vera-Tucker remaining at tackle could keep the veteran blocker on the bench, unless the Jets want to demote Becton, who worked extensively with the second team before winning the right tackle gig to start the season.
The team does not have Becton, Brown or Billy Turner signed beyond 2023. Vera-Tucker would represent some tackle certainty for a club that largely lacks it. McGovern is also on a one-year deal, and Tippmann has been viewed as the team’s long-term center. The Jets will have major O-line decisions to make coming out of this season, but Vera-Tucker moving outside permanently would make guard a need in 2024. Vera-Tucker excelling at right tackle would also improve his earning potential. While two guard $20MM-per-year salaries exist (Quenton Nelson, Chris Lindstrom), right tackle features eight players at $17MM AAV compared to just two at guard.
Jets should consider a round 1, if all works as expected, QB or WR then use 3-4 rounds for oline help
too early to say that
Unsurprisingly, the Jets biggest issue is the offensive line. The cause for AR going down, the cause (well, partially) for Zach Wilson’s effectiveness, and the reason the team won’t advance. A below average Center, two players playing out of position and another who has finally been healthy but not playing to the level drafted. They need to go heavy on the line next draft and plug in two starters.
I agree with most of this comment, but the two players playing out of position is not necessarily a bad thing. AVT has looked just as good at OT as OG and Tippmann was widely expected to be able to handle OG as well as OC. Ultimately, I want Tippmann back at OC next season, but I’m completely fine with AVT staying at RT if the coaching staff so chooses.
No one’s playing out of position. There’s no OG gene.
The advantage of this is that you could acquire either a tackle or interior lineman this offseason, depending on which is the better player available. AVT needs to finish out the year as a tackle to fully judge where he fits best, but he’s playing well so far. If he remains at this level, and is willing to stay at tackle, then the Jets have leeway in which offensive position they can pick. I think picking a tackle is safer, given the tentative possibility of Becton being injured again or losing effectiveness, or leaving the team in the future. But the Jets would benefit from a lot of investment up front, so they could add two decent players or more and still be working towards the positive. The silver lining to having multiple needs is that, we’ll, you don’t have to be picky.
They could also use another WR and TE in my opinion, so the door’s open to a lot on offense. But we all know that OL is the main need. You could add a QB high in the draft, but I don’t think that this roster is giving him enough to work with to make that worth it. The Jets would be sort of stuck waiting on Rodgers and hoping that he’ll return to form, but at least they’ll be waiting on a HoFer, and not an average player. It’s still a risk, but I’d improve the roster so that, no matter who starts, he at least has a chance.
I-really-don’t-understand-why-people-consider-it-to-be-an-advantage-to-use-hypens-between-names.You-would-never-catch-me-abusing-a-grammatical-symbol-like-that.
My thinking relates to – when you’re teaching a 1st grade person to write their last name the shorter the better. Why burden little minds with gibber jabber keep it simple