The New York Jets’ offensive line was a sight to behold in 2023... and I don’t mean that in a good way. While Jets fans had grown accustomed to poor play from this unit, last year’s unit felt considerably worse than usual, and it hindered any chance of success for the 2023 New York Jets.
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The New York Jets’ decision makers made moves to overhaul the unit over the offseason, replacing four intended starters from opening day last season. Specifically, those changes are as follows:
- Left tackle: Duane Brown to Tyron Smith
- Center: Connor McGovern to Joe Tippman
- Left guard: Laken Tomlinson to John Simpson
- Right tackle: Mekhi Becton to Morgan Moses
Among the starters, the only returning player is right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, who started last season strong before suffering a season ending injury for the second season in a row. Beyond that, the Jets have improved their depth. The first tackle up in the event of injury will be 2024 first round pick Olu Fashanu. This is a significant upgrade over last season, when Vera-Tucker had to change positions to accommodate an offensive line that was not built to withstand injuries.
While the most notable change may be the addition of future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, the line as a whole is improved across the entire board. What once were question marks or lottery tickets have become established NFL players who have all succeeded in recent memory, better positioning the Jets offense to ‘take flight’ in 2024 compared to 2023 and potentially setting this unit up as one of the league’s best.
In line with that, a recent ranking from Mike Clay of ESPN rated the Jets as having the 6th best offensive line in the league. This is a far cry from last season when Jets fans largely thought the Jets were fielding the worst offensive line in the league. Needless to say, if the offensive line can live up to its billing, then the New York Jets will be well on their way to achieving significant team success in 2024, making this unit one worthy of specific attention in the early weeks of the season.
