Saleh and Rodgers Not 'Panicking' over Jets' Offensive Line
It's hard to identify the best five-man combination when three proven pieces are currently unavailable.
The New York Jets' offensive line has been without Alijah Vera-Tucker, Laken Tomlinson and Duane Brown during practice this week.
Penciled in as the starting right guard, Vera-Tucker has been a non-participant for three straight days as he deals with a nagging ankle injury. Tomlinson, who started all 17 games at left guard in 2022, practiced on Tuesday, but "had something going on with his leg" according to head coach Robert Saleh. Meanwhile, Brown, the presumed Week 1 left tackle, has been on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list since the start of training camp.
"There are guys coming back from injury, there is a lot of growth happening, there is a lot of really good things happening," said Saleh after Thursday's practice in Florham Park. "When I turned on the tape yesterday, there was a lot of really good stuff on tape, and then today was a good practice for those guys."
Rookie Joe Tippmann was at left guard while veteran Wes Schweitzer took Vera-Tucker's right guard spot for Thursday's session, which welcomed fans to witness the action.
While bookends Billy Turner and Max Mitchell took the first team reps on the outside, former first-round draft pick Mekhi Becton, who continues to test his surgically-repaired right knee, was seen working at right tackle when Zach Wilson was in at quarterback.
The makeshift first team unit allowed a negligible amount of pressure on the passer today, but that was not the case in Wednesday's joint practice against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In all of its different iterations, the Gang Green's O-line has had its struggles protecting quarterback Aaron Rodgers at multiple junctures in the preseason, including last week's visit to Carolina.
"It's a work in progress," said Rodgers when asked about the offensive line after Wednesday's session with the Bucs. "I was thinking, maybe, we’d start to figure some stuff out. Obviously, it hasn’t happened yet. There are jobs up for grabs, so that’s the beauty of camp, but also the struggle."
The 39-year-old Rodgers, who is in the midst of his 19th consecutive NFL training camp, plans on showing patience with the group while also trying to encourage his teammates.
"We just need some continuity, I think, at some point so guys can feel comfortable playing together," said the four-time NFL MVP. "Maybe that’s the end of next week, maybe it’s the week that we have in between the season and the last preseason game, but jobs are up for grabs."
Saleh suggested it's only a matter of time before the pieces fall into place and the unit begins to jell.
"In the building, no one’s panicking," said Saleh. "The message is still the same. We’ve got plenty of time and we’re going to figure it out, best five will play and we’ll get it done."
It'll certainly help if the Jets can soon get one, two or all three of those important pieces back on the practice field.
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