Aaron Rodgers’s season ended in dismay when he tore his ACL in the opening match of the last season. Even though he grabbed the attention when he flirted with the idea of an early return, that didn’t happen. Now the Jets go into the off-season with rebuilding on their minds. While Robert Saleh‘s defense is still punching above its weight, the same cannot be said about their offense and if they want to get the best out of their $ 75 million investment, they would have to invest in weapons around it.
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A stellar offensive line can be the decisive factor between a quarterback executing a game-winning pass and enduring constant pressure leading to sacks. Duane Brown, who returned from a healed shoulder, suffered a hip injury and played only three games afterward. Alijah Vera-Tucker’s season ended with a torn Achilles Tendon, necessitating three different players to fill his position.
Center Connor McGovern’s knee injury in Game 7 prompted second-round rookie Joe Tippmann to shift from guard to center, creating a void at RG. Seven different players played the position in McGovern’s absence. The Jets began the season with nine offensive line players on the roster, and by the end of the season, they had used 13 players on the offensive line as per New York Jets.
Following the 2009 season, the Packers prioritized recruiting players to protect Rodgers. In 2010, they boasted the 11th-best offensive line in the league, resulting in Green Bay winning their fourth Super Bowl. In 2011, the offensive line once again performed near the top 10, contributing to the Packers having the best offense in the league with a 14-1 record. Rodgers earned his first MVP honors, throwing for 4,643 yards with 45 TDs and just 6 picks. In 2014, the Packers had a top 5 offensive line, arguably the best in Rodgers’ era. They again had the best offense, and Rodgers won his second MVP, throwing for 4,381 yards with 38 TDs and 5 interceptions, as reported by Wisconsin Sports Heroics.
Meanwhile, the Jets struggled with one of the worst offensive lines, ranking 30th in the league. While they faced challenges in the quarterback department after Rodgers’ injury, their offensive line troubles only exacerbated the situation.
While the overhaul of the O-Line is necessary, the position of Right Tackle needs to be prioritized and it looks like fans are urging the team to use their 10th pick in the upcoming draft to fill the position.
Jets World Responds to New York’s Off-Season Strategy
Fans are urging Jets GM Joe Douglas to adopt an aggressive approach in the upcoming off-season, believing that a limited window of success with exceptional quarterbacks and championship-level defenses necessitates swift action. While acknowledging Douglas’s efforts to address the O-Line concerns, fans recognize that injuries hampered the execution of potential solutions.
Despite the team’s success in free agency and trades, particularly in acquiring players like Vera-Tucker, fans believe that utilizing draft capital is crucial for obtaining players who might be challenging to acquire through trades. One such position in focus is Offensive Tackle, an area where the Green Gang lacked a designated starting Right Tackle at the beginning of the season.
Options like Billy Turner, Max Mitchell, and Mekhi Becton were available, with Becton initially selected for the starting job before being moved to Left Tackle, where he played 14 times. Alijah Vera-Tucker, who shifted from RG to RT after the Cowboys game, suffered a season-ending injury against the Broncos, leading to three different players starting in his absence. While Tucker has shown excellence in the few games he played at Tackle, concerns about his susceptibility to injuries persist.
