With training camp on the horizon, all 32 teams are still holding out hope for the new season, hoping this is the season they break through. The New York Jets, in particular, are one of those teams following another aggressive offseason in rebuilding the offensive line to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the hopes of making their push for the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season.
Those two keys also happen to be the reasons for optimism for the Jets in 2024, as shared by Pro Football Focus writer Dalton Wasserman. Specifically, as Wasserman writes, “Aaron Rodgers is healthy, and this time, he has an offensive line.”
Wasserman had this to say about Rodgers and the line and why fans should feel good:
“The story of the Jets’ 2023 season was Aaron Rodgers’ torn Achilles, but a culmination of questionable decisions and bad injury luck on the offensive line doomed the team, too. New York likely wouldn’t have succeeded no matter who played quarterback behind the league’s second-worst offensive line.
“This offseason, future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, the league’s leader in pass-blocking grade, was brought in to lock things down at left tackle. New York added two other starters, Morgan Moses and John Simpson, at tremendous value. Right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker returns from injury, and the team drafted Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu as the eventual replacement for Smith. Rodgers should be well-protected in 2024.”
On top of all that, the Jets return second-year pro Joe Tippmann at center, who by many accounts, has had a great spring and could be poised to take his game to another level this season.
Staying healthy will obviously be the biggest factor for the offensive line, as their luck has not been the greatest over the last two seasons. But if they can stay healthy, the offense can take that next step and give the Jets hope to not only reach the playoffs, but potentially win the AFC East for the first time since 2002, host a playoff game and make a run deep into January.