Jets Training Camp Takeaways: Offensive Line Looks Much Improved

The unit tasked with protecting Aaron Rodgers has been transformed from last year’s biggest weakness into what should be a key strength.

New York Jets rookie tackle Olu Fashanu warms up during training camp. / John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The 22nd team on my NFL training camp tour is one that’s doing all it can to slip under the radar. Unfortunately, that’s impossible if you’re the New York Jets. But what’s obvious in this corner of New Jersey is there’s a very businesslike team in Florham Park that knows the sort of shot it has over the next five months. Here’s what I discovered from my visit there …

• The thing that the Jets seem to be most excited about with less than three weeks to their opener on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers is actually where the biggest problem was last year—the offensive line. New tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses have been outstanding, both as players and leaders, with one example coming in the team’s joint practice last week in Charlotte. Aaron Rodgers threw a pick in 11-on-11s, and the interceptor had a clear path to the end zone. Both Smith and Moses reacted by chasing the guy all the way down the field about 80 yards before there was a whistle. It was an example of where little things can become big things, in that if teammates see two 33-year-old offensive linemen hustling like that, there’s no excuse for anyone else not to. And while the chances are slim that both of those guys play all 17 games, the Jets’ depth is in a much better spot with five legit NFL tackles on their roster. Olu Fashanu’s had an outstanding offseason after being taken with the No. 11 pick in the draft, and even showed in recent days he could play right tackle, which he’d never done. And one silver lining in last year’s tidal wave of injuries was that backups Max Mitchell and Carter Warren got experience and proved themselves. Add a solid interior, with Alijah Vera-Tucker, Joe Tippmann and John Simpson good to go, and this is night and day from where the Jets were last year.

• The Jets’ have intriguing depth in the backfield, too, with fourth-rounder Braelon Allen and fifth-rounder Isaiah Davis bringing more punch to what might be the biggest running back room in the league. Breece Hall tips the scale at 220 pounds, which is where Davis is too, and Allen is a robust 235. All three guys can also catch the ball (Allen had a shoestring catch in Saturday’s preseason game), and protect, too, which allows the Jets a lot of flexibility in mixing them in without giving the defense clues on where the ball is going. And if these guys produce behind the revamped line, it’ll only make it easier for the Jets to keep Rodgers upright all year.

•  The defensive line was a strength last year and it will be again. The Jets have seven former first-round picks in that position group. Jermaine Johnson’s taken another step. Will McDonald IV’s progress has been steady. And as has been the case in Robert Saleh’s old home, San Francisco, for years, the Jets’ head coach is starting to make Florham Park a machine when it comes to reclamation projects—mostly on the premise that the simplicity of how he uses defensive linemen allows for gifted guys to max out their potential. Javon Kinlaw has shown strength, poise, explosiveness, and get-off coming over from the Niners, and the Jets were excited in how he handled big-money Carolina guard Robert Hunt last week. Similarly, Takk McKinley has found new life with the Jets. So with Quinnen Williams as the established anchor, and hope that the Haason Reddick situation gets resolved, the Jets have a shot to come at offenses in waves.

• One thing that still needs to be sorted out is receiver roles beyond Garrett Wilson, and in that regard Allen Lazard’s made some waves this summer. He battled knee and shoulder injuries last year, and that pushed his career, at 28 years old, to a bit of crossroads. He’s responded with a real sense of urgency, grinding away with receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, almost as if to prove he’s a lot more than just Rodgers’s buddy from Green Bay. Even better, he’s been like a coach in the room for the younger receivers, given his experience from his time with the Packers. So he’s squarely in the mix with rookie Malachi Corley a rugged run-after-catch guy who’ll make some splash plays, and veteran Mike Williams, who is getting healthy again.

• We’ll have more coming on this, but I spent some time with Rodgers, and he’s in a really good place going into his 20th NFL season. The team, too, has been quiet—but isn’t missing what’s been said about the group over the past year or so. As it stands, the guys in charge see a group that’s hit a sweet spot in combining a crew of productive, young, rookie-contract vets with older guys that have a lot of experience. The schedule is challenging from the start, but there's certainly an appreciation within the team for the talent on hand, and a little bit of a chip on their shoulders left over from last year.