Jets' offensive line has its work cut out for it
Jets tackle Mekhi Becton listens to coaches during practice at the team's training facility on July 21 in Florham Park, N.J. Credit: AP/John Minchillo
The Jets’ offensive line was the team’s biggest question mark heading into training camp. That hasn’t changed. If anything, it may be even more of a concern.
There are six weeks before the Jets host Buffalo on Monday Night Football in their season opener on Sept. 11. There’s time to sort things out and find the five guys who can keep defensive linemen off Aaron Rodgers and open holes (perhaps for Dalvin Cook if the Jets can secure a deal with the Pro Bowl running back after meeting with him this weekend).
The offensive line could hold the keys to the Jets’ season. The defensive line has gotten the better of the O-line in most practices, which isn’t all that surprising considering the Jets’ defensive front was among the NFL’s best last season. There have been days when the D-line has dominated, and it’s drawn some frustration from Rodgers.
He got upset early in team drills in practice last week and said something to the offensive line. Rodgers mentioned afterward that the offense took “a step back a little bit” and that “up front we didn’t control the line of scrimmage.”
Message sent.
Rodgers can mitigate some of the Jets’ holes with his ability to get the ball out quickly and escape the pocket. But there will be times when the line needs to hold off the pass rush while a play develops.
The Jets seem set on the interior with Laken Tomlinson at left guard, Connor McGovern at center and Alijah Vera-Tucker the right guard. The two tackle positions remain unsettled.
Duane Brown — the likely starting left tackle — is on the PUP list, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. The Jets seem confident that he will be ready for Week 1.
Mekhi Becton’s twice surgically repaired right knee sidelined him for parts or all of the last three practices. He had been playing left tackle with the second group, but it was believed that if fully healthy, he would start on the right side.s.
That has left Max Mitchell and Billy Turner to be the tackles when Rodgers is running the offense. The two have played on both sides. The Jets also have used rookie Carter Warren and Yodny Cajuste at tackle with the second and third teams.
“I feel pretty good about the guys in the interior,” Rodgers said. “There is obviously some competition for the tackles. Duane’s not out there, which is going to make a difference for us. I don’t know if we have a timetable on when we will need everybody, but it would be nice to get everybody back at some point.”
Robert Saleh probably will use the August joint practices with the Panthers and Buccaneers as tune-ups for the starters and competition for the offensive linemen.
“I don’t want to put timelines on it,” he said. “Those intersquad scrimmages with Carolina and Tampa Bay, I think, are going to be a big measuring stick and it’s going to allow us more clarity, so we got a lot of time left.”
Saleh said the Jets are “excited about” the tackles competing for the starting jobs. He also said it’s a three-man battle for the center position: McGovern, Wes Schweitzer and Joe Tippmann. Tippmann eventually could supplant McGovern, but he’s still learning the playbook and NFL game.
“[There’s] a lot of really good competition among the offensive line,” he said. “I think through that competition, guys are going to get a lot better.”
The O-line is a question mark. The Jets can’t let it become a major concern.
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
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