{"id":390871,"date":"2025-09-23T14:57:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T14:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/390871\/"},"modified":"2025-09-23T14:57:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T14:57:11","slug":"one-star-thriving-one-sputtering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/390871\/","title":{"rendered":"One star thriving, one sputtering"},"content":{"rendered":"

Expectations were high for the New York Jets\u2019 offensive line entering the 2025 season. With four homegrown players selected in the top two rounds and a quality free agent signing in John Simpson, the Jets had the pieces to field one of the NFL\u2019s best units<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, arguably the best of those five pieces, Alijah Vera-Tucker, went down with a season-ending triceps injury<\/a> before Week 1.<\/p>\n

Vera-Tucker\u2019s injury lowered expectations for the unit, but there was still hope that it had the depth and coaching to finish as one of the league\u2019s top groups.<\/p>\n

Are they living up to that potential so far?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s check in on the Jets\u2019 offensive line through three games.<\/p>\n

Collective metrics<\/p>\n

Before digging into the individual players, here are some key team-wide metrics for the Jets\u2019 blocking.<\/p>\n

PFF team pass-blocking grade: 59.1 (17th)<\/p>\n

Offensive line pass-blocking efficiency: 80.9 (27th)<\/p>\n

PFF team run-blocking grade: 64.1 (11th)<\/p>\n

Running back yards before contact per carry: 1.3 (13th)<\/p>\n

In terms of pass protection, the Jets have fielded about a league-average rating in Pro Football Focus\u2019 grading system. However, the offensive line has yielded pressure at a high rate, as evidenced by the No. 27 ranking in pass-blocking efficiency.<\/p>\n

This discrepancy is due to both Jets quarterbacks tending to hang onto the ball. Out of 37 qualified quarterbacks, Justin Fields ranks first with an average time to throw of 3.37 seconds, while Tyrod Taylor is eighth at 3.07 seconds.<\/p>\n

Having that type of quarterback will naturally cause the offensive linemen to give up more pressures than they would with a quarterback who gets the ball out faster. Thus, their pressure totals make them look worse than they have actually played \u2013 keep that in mind when we analyze the individual metrics later on.<\/p>\n

As for run blocking, the Jets appear to have been above-average so far. They are 11th in PFF\u2019s team run-blocking grade, while their running backs rank 13th with 1.3 yards before contact per carry.<\/p>\n

Overall, the Jets\u2019 offensive line has been decent. It has not been a liability, but it also has not been close to the mauling unit that New York hoped it could be.<\/p>\n

With the Jets\u2019 lack of talent at other offensive positions, they need this unit to play at a top-tier level to win games, and they have not done that so far. They did it in Week 1, but the following two games were not up to snuff.<\/p>\n

Three games in, it seems likely that the loss of Vera-Tucker\u2019s high-end talent has lowered the unit\u2019s ceiling. However, given how well they played without him in Week 1, they have shown that they are still capable of being a top-10 group. They just need to find ways to replicate that level of play consistently.<\/p>\n

Individual players<\/p>\n

Across the Jets\u2019 starting offensive line, we have seen some surprising results thus far. Some players are wildly outperforming expectations, while others have been underwhelming.<\/p>\n

It is only three games, though, so these numbers should be expected to normalize in the future. Still, these trends are interesting to keep track of. We\u2019re deep enough into the season for the cold starts to become somewhat concerning, while the hot starts are becoming legitimately promising.<\/p>\n

So far, the Jets have been lucky enough to have the same five starters in each game. Their starters have combined to miss only one snap. Yes, I just jinxed it, but that is the cost of relaying facts.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at how the Jets\u2019 individual starting linemen have begun the 2025 season.<\/p>\n

LT Olu Fashanu<\/p>\n

By far, Olu Fashanu has been the Jets\u2019 most disappointing starter.<\/p>\n

It is a little too early to start being \u201cconcerned\u201d about the talented tackle, given that he is 22 years old and has only started eight games at left tackle. Still, it is fair to say that New York expects more from him.<\/p>\n

Fashanu has allowed 15 total pressures this season. It ranks as the most in the NFL among left tackles and the second-most among all offensive linemen. He has also committed three penalties, all of which came in the Week 3 loss to Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

This is a step back from the foundation Fashanu established in his rookie year. He allowed just 12 pressures across his six appearances (five starts) at left tackle, along with only three penalties. He has already matched those numbers in half as many games.<\/p>\n

FILM REVIEW: How Olu Fashanu can grow into an elite left tackle<\/a><\/p>\n

Fashanu has still displayed occasional signs of top-tier upside. In fairness to him, he tends to draw the most one-on-one matchups, as New York often shades help to Armand Membou\u2019s side (especially in Week 1 against Pittsburgh). In these situations, Fashanu has shown signs of much-improved strength, helping him do a much better job of anchoring down against bull rushes.<\/p>\n

This #Jets<\/a> pass pro is a thing of beauty. Fashanu holds his own against Watt, Simpson drives his man into the ground, and look at Isaiah Davis picking up that blitz and sustaining his block<\/p>\n

Fields steps up and threads the needle on 3rd & 9 pic.twitter.com\/60JjZ4qolO<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) September 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

While his peaks have been high, Fashanu has been far too inconsistent. In Week 3, Buccaneers edge rusher Yaya Diaby frequently used his speed to burn Fashanu.<\/p>\n

LG John Simpson<\/p>\n

After a breakout season in 2024, Simpson has taken a slight step back to begin 2025, but it\u2019s nothing concerning yet.<\/p>\n

Simpson allowed 20 pressures in 17 starts last year (1.2 per game). He\u2019s yielded six in his first three starts (2.0 per game) of 2025.<\/p>\n

On a per-snap basis, Simpson let up pressure on 2.9% of his pass-blocking snaps last year (20 on 682) compared to 5.6% this year (6 on 107).<\/p>\n

However, considering the flip in release time from Aaron Rodgers to Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor, Simpson\u2019s increase in pressures is understandable. He is capable of being slightly better, but he\u2019s just not going to match last year\u2019s numbers after switching to a starting quarterback who takes almost an extra second to release the ball.<\/p>\n

PFF has Simpson ranked 11th among left guards in pass-blocking grade (66.4), while his run-blocking grade (59.7) is 13th. These are slightly above-average rankings, which the Jets will gladly take from Simpson on his $6 million salary.<\/p>\n

Still, Simpson was more impressive last year (72.3 pass-blocking grade, 79.2 run-blocking grade), and the Jets would benefit greatly if he trended back up to that level of play.<\/p>\n

Brutal blitz pickup by Simpson<\/p>\n

Then, because this is the Jets, the ball pops directly into a guy’s hands, whereas the Jets’ strip sack on Mayfield bounced right back to the Bucs pic.twitter.com\/e53Q7RSNAL<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) September 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

C Josh Myers<\/p>\n

The quasi-replacement for Alijah Vera-Tucker, Josh Myers has exceeded the Jets\u2019 expectations so far.<\/p>\n

Myers was a top 25-30-ish center in Green Bay, which made him a high-level backup, but would make him one of the league\u2019s weakest starters over a full season. So far, though, Myers has been closer to a league-average center.<\/p>\n

Myers has yet to commit a penalty or allow a sack. However, his six pressures allowed are tied for the fifth-most among centers. Four of those came in the Week 3 loss to Tampa Bay, as Todd Bowles overwhelmed Myers with complex blitz packages.<\/p>\n

Overall, though, the Jets must be happy with the numbers Myers has produced. PFF has him ranked as the No. 10 pass-blocking center (63.7 grade) and No. 13 run-blocking center (67.1 grade).<\/p>\n

Those numbers track with the film. Myers hasn\u2019t been great, nor has he been terrible. He has just been\u2026 there. And the Jets will happily take that from a backup forced to start for the whole season.<\/p>\n

Myers has also been a clear upgrade over Tippmann in terms of snap accuracy. That carries some extra value for a Jets offense that loves running option plays with Justin Fields. Those plays could be ruined with Tippmann\u2019s propensity for high snaps, but Myers has kept things on schedule with his deliveries.<\/p>\n

RG Joe Tippmann<\/p>\n

Directly replacing Vera-Tucker at right guard, Joe Tippmann has been up and down, but the positives have outweighed the negatives.<\/p>\n

Tippmann had excellent performances in Weeks 1 and 3, although he struggled mightily against the Bills in Week 2, contributing to the Jets\u2019 dismal offensive performance.<\/p>\n

Overall, Tippmann has been above-average through three games. He\u2019s committed one penalty and given up no sacks, while yielding five pressures on 108 pass-blocking snaps. His 4.6% pressure rate ranks 27th-best out of 62 guards, which, in front of Fields and Taylor, is pretty impressive.<\/p>\n

In PFF\u2019s grading system, Tippmann ranks 14th among right guards in pass-blocking grade (60.6) and sixth in run-blocking grade (69.1). It\u2019s been a pretty solid start for Tippmann after getting thrust into the position only days before the season opener. <\/p>\n

Going forward, the key is consistency. Tippmann has shown a high ceiling, but his stinker against the Bills is dragging his numbers down with the body of work still being only three games.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

RT Armand Membou<\/p>\n

Armand Membou has been nothing short of a phenom for the Jets.<\/p>\n

Offensive line metrics can be inconsistent across different platforms, but when they all say the same thing, they\u2019re probably telling the truth. And just about every number agrees: Membou has been excellent.<\/p>\n

PFF\u2019s grading system has Membou as the league\u2019s fourth-best right tackle (74.3 overall grade). He ranks eighth as a pass blocker (69.7 grade) and fifth as a run blocker (73.7 grade).<\/p>\n

Membou has allowed one sack and has yet to commit a penalty. On 108 pass-blocking snaps, he has allowed just four pressures. His allowed pressure rate of 3.7% ranks 17th-best among 63 qualified tackles, which is remarkable considering how long his quarterbacks force him to hold up for.<\/p>\n

Further affirming Membou\u2019s quality of play, ESPN\u2019s pass-block win rate is similarly high on him, placing him eighth-best among tackles so far. He is joined by elite company.<\/p>\n

Jets rookie Armand Membou now up to 8th in pass block win rate (96%) among tackles. <\/p>\n

The four tackles immediately ahead of him: Joe Alt, Dion Dawkins, Garett Bolles, Penei Sewell.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Seth Walder (@SethWalder) September 22, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Membou has a long way to go to sustain this level of play, but the most encouraging aspect of his hot start is the level of competition he\u2019s faced. The rookie has begun his career against matchups like T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Joey Bosa, Haason Reddick, and Yaya Diaby, and yet, he has immediately risen to the occasion.<\/p>\n

It will only get easier for Membou from here, with two weak defenses in Miami and Dallas up next on the schedule. Membou has a chance to quickly establish himself as not just one of the best rookies of the 2025 draft class, but one of the best right tackles in football.<\/p>\n