Veteran Offensive Lineman is New York Jets Biggest X-Factor This Season

A veteran offensive lineman will play a huge role in the success of the New York Jets this upcoming season.

Jul 25, 2024; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets offensive tackle Tyron Smith (77) looks on during training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

There are a lot of people who are facing immense pressure on the New York Jets heading into the 2024 season. General manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh have essentially hitched their job security to veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

After Rodgers was injured on the team’s fourth offensive play from scrimmage in 2023, the Jets’ entire game plan for the season went up in smoke. There was no contingency plan in place behind Rodgers, as they turned back to Zach Wilson.

Wilson struggled mightily, as did Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian, who also started games for New York. While that trio were certainly downgrading from Rodgers and underwhelming, there was a lot that contributed to their struggles.

Top among them was the struggles of the offensive line. The Jets couldn’t block anyone, whether it was in pass protection or to open up holes in the running game. How running back Breece Hall found as much success as he did in 2023 coming off an ACL injury is anyone’s guess.

For New York’s offense to show improvement, the group in the trenches needed to be overhauled. Douglas got to work this offseason improving the offensive line, acquiring several veterans and using premium draft capital.

In the offensive, a Baltimore Ravens tandem of Morgan Moses and John Simpson were acquired. Moses is in his second stint with the franchise. With their first-round pick, they also selected star tackle Olu Fashanu out of Penn State.

But, the player who could hold the key to this unit reaching their ceiling is veteran Tyron Smith. A perennial Pro Bowler and All-Pro in his first 13 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, the Jets were able to sign him for cheap as a free agent.

Injuries have been a concern for him, as he has missed at least three games in eight consecutive seasons. In two of those seasons, he missed double-digit amounts of games.

That is what makes him the biggest X-Factor for New York in 2024 in the opinion of Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report. There is a risk with his injury history, but the reward can be great if Smith can stay on the field.

“If Smith can stay on the field and play as well as he did last season—he only allowed a single sack, according to Pro Football Focus—the offensive line could be a strength. If Smith's injury woes return, however, the Jets will have to rush their rookie tackle on the field or search for tackle help elsewhere.

New York can't possibly expect Rodgers to last the entire season if its line isn't substantially better than it was a year ago,” Knox wrote.

Protecting Rodgers is the No. 1 priority for New York this season. Even if he doesn’t play at an MVP level and the Jets receive the kind of production he provided in 2022 with the Green Bay Packers, it is a massive upgrade over what they have gotten under center in recent years.

Smith will play an integral role in achieving that success. Highly productive when on the field, he offers a high-risk, high-reward proposition for the team.