The NY Jets revamped their offensive line this offseason, adding two former Baltimore Ravens starters in Morgan Moses and John Simpson. If Thursday night's Ravens season opener is any indication, Baltimore may already be regretting their decision to let them go.
The Ravens are in the midst of a tightly-contested battle with the Kansas City Chiefs in the first game of the NFL season, and Baltimore's offensive line has already proven to be a major issue. One look at the team's depth chart and it's easy to see why.
The Ravens replaced Simpson at left guard with Andrew Vorhees, a 2023 seventh-round pick who missed his entire rookie season due to injury. This is his first career game and it's not going particularly well.
Moses was replaced by career fringe starter Patrick Mekari at right tackle. Mekari has played every position from center to tackle but has always functioned better as a sixth offensive lineman. With Moses gone, Mekari is now a full-time starter.
The Ravens also lost Kevin Zeitler in free agency to the Detroit Lions, replacing him with former fourth-round pick Daniel Faalele. Faalele is a converted tackle with just one career start under his belt.
Baltimore has allowed two sacks at the time of writing and many more pressures. One of those sacks resulted in a strip sack that set the Chiefs up in plus field position. Jackson is running for his life behind his team's make-shift offensive line.
The Ravens' offensive line is a mess, and the Jets could be the primary beneficiary. Jets running back Breece Hall seems to agree.
The Jets made it a point of emphasis to bolster their offensive line this offseason, signing future Hall of Fame left tackle Tyron Smith to go along with Moses and Simpson.
The result is a new-look Jets offensive line that, at least on paper, has the potential to be one of the stronger units in the NFL. Moses and Simpson are two big reasons for the optimism regarding the offensive line.
Moses returns to the Jets after two very strong seasons in Baltimore. The veteran right tackle received an 80.4 Pro Football Focus grade that ranked 10th among all offensive tackles in 2023.
As for Simpson, the former Raiders draft pick was a revelation for the Ravens last season, developing into a rock-solid starting left guard after a disappointing stint in Las Vegas.
The Jets are hopeful that their offensive line could serve as one of the strengths of their roster in 2024. The Ravens, on the other hand, are still reeling from their offseason losses.
