FLORHAM PARK — It’s easy to suggest that the lone culprit of the New York Jets’ historical offensive struggles this season is at the quarterback position.
The larger truth, though, may be a little more complex.
In 2022, it was easy to look past some positional struggles due to the fact the team used three different quarterbacks due to injury or incompetence. The one constant in each of these past few years though has been the turnstile way the offensive line has had to work due to numerous injuries along the way.
For this season at least, the real culprit of the rough start for the Jets’ offense could easily be tied to the same kind of injuries plaguing the same important group for a second straight year. Through the first two and a half months of the NFL season, New York’s rash of injuries along the offensive line might be even greater than they were the previous year.
During the entirety of the 2022 season, the Jets used 11 different offensive linemen were used – a usually unheard-of number. Injuries to Mekhi Becton, Duane Brown, Max Mitchell, and Alijah Vera-Tucker completely derailed the entire year down the stretch. In this same year, just eight games into the NFL season, New York has already used 11 different ones with a 12th expected on Sunday. With nine more games to go, it seems that their offensive line troubles can’t get any worse.
“What makes this so unique is how many and how early in the season,” Jets offensive line coach Keith Carter said. “For it to happen this fast is unique…Just one of those crazy years.”
New York has already lost Alijah Vera-Tucker for the year (for the second straight season). Connor McGovern and Wes Schweitzer are on IR, both from the same game. Duane Brown may be close to returning, but he also has missed over a month of action.
That lack of stability in the most important position group of an offense can lead to miscommunication, and the kind of struggles fans have grown accustomed to seeing over the past few weeks. It’s a big reason (but not the only reason) why Zach Wilson was sacked eight times in New York’s 27-6 loss to Los Angeles on Monday night.
“I think it was a little bit of everyone,” Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett explained. “Whether we wanted to try to make a play and pressed, maybe held on too long, or maybe we didn’t get open, or maybe we missed a block. I think that’s where we are and we have to get through that. We got to get chemistry up front. We got to get those guys playing well. We need to get the ball out quick. We need to win fast.”
Billy Turner is the latest member of the offensive line to sustain an injury after a game – his broken hand is the latest in a long line of injuries that have plagued the group as a whole. The longer the health of the offensive line continues to be a problem, the worse the third-down and red-zone numbers will get for New York.
Recognizing the lack of stability of the offensive line greatly impacts the success and effectiveness of an offense, in general, does not exonerate some of the other players who have struggled for Gang Green this season. Calls to replace Zach Wilson continue to grow due to the quarterback’s lack of effectiveness, and several analysts question how the team was first constructed with free agents like Allen Lazard, Dalvin Cook, and Randall Cobb all being ineffective early on.
But having a strong and stable offensive line can fix many of these problems. For the second straight year, the Jets have had to piece together the best starting five of those healthy, and not those based on overall talent. That’s enough to sink any offense and it’s certainly sinking the 2023 version of Gang Green.
To fix their offensive struggles, the Jets may be simply in a case of waiting until they can get at least half of their starting offensive line back. Until then, it could very well be more of the same in Florham Park.
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