Bolstering the offensive line is a must for the New York Jets this offseason. Their first move to accomplish this was signing former Baltimore guard John Simpson.
Contract specifics have not been released yet, but according to Tom Pelissero, this is a two-year deal worth up to $18 million.
Simpson spent his first three NFL seasons with Las Vegas and then 2023 with Baltimore. Almost all of his career snaps have come at left guard, which is where Pelissero mentioned that he is expected to play with the Jets.
Simpson started for the Raiders in 2021, his second NFL season, but after just 181 snaps in 2022, he was released by Las Vegas late in the season before being claimed by the Ravens.
He went on to play 1,242 snaps with Baltimore this past season, allowing just one sack and 31 total pressures while being called for 13 penalties–which is a lot.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes that Simpson is known as a better run-blocker, but the 6.5 percent pressure rate he allowed in 2023 ranked 19th among all guards.
“I just try to get better every day,” said Simpson during Ravens’ training camp. “I just want to get better one step at a time every day and just look at it like that. Every day’s an opportunity to get better.”
Last season, the Jets’ offensive line that dealt with a littany of injuries surrendered the second-most quarterback pressures and the fourth-most sacks.
Looking at the unit this offseason, there is a lot of work for general manager Joe Douglas. Prior to signing Simpson, the only starters on the roster were Joe Tippmann and Alijah Vera-Tucker.
When at the NFL Combine, Douglas didn’t specify where Vera-Tucker was going to play this season but mentioned that he can play all four spots well – both guard and tackle positions – and wherever he initially ends up is where he’s staying. Throughout Vera-Tucker’s career, he has been bounced around.
The right side is where Vera-Tucker has spent the most time, and if at guard is where the Jets end up lining him up this season, they then have their interior line set with Simpson at left guard, Tippmann at center, and Vera-Tucker at right guard.
However, if Vera-Tucker ends up at right tackle, then left tackle and right guard are still open. My guess is that where Vera-Tucker ends up will be dependent upon who else the Jets add this offseason.
During the first day of the legal tampering period, the guard market really took off with a number of high-priced contracts earned. The offensive tackle position, however, has moved a bit more slowly, with top free agents Tyron Smith and Trent Brown still available.
For the offensive line-needy Jets, the draft is absolutely loaded at that position group, with NFL Network’s Peter Schrager recently saying that he could see 12 offensive linemen selected on Day 1 of the draft.
With the 10th overall selection, the Jets will be able to land one of the top tackles in this class if they go that route, but the issue is that they won’t select again until pick 72 and still have other positions of need to address.
This puts a bit more added pressure on Douglas to lay a strong foundation along the offensive line during free agency while, of course, being mindful of not overspending.
Having Aaron Rodgers back will certainly help turn things around offensively for the Jets, but just how good they are is going to be strongly linked to how well the offensive line is able to keep him clean.