Jets' Offensive Line Pivot Showing Viability
So far, Plan B is working.
The New York Jets reconfigured their offensive line on the fly and the new combination held its own against the reigning Super Bowl champions in Week 4. The Sunday Night Football affair marked only the second game since the team made changes to the left tackle, right guard and right tackle spots.
The Jets started the season with a front five consisting of left tackle Duane Brown, left guard Laken Tomlinson, center Connor McGovern, right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker and right tackle Mekhi Becton.
After Brown landed on Injured Reserve due to a hip injury prior to the team's Week 3 game, head coach Robert Saleh and his staff were forced to pivot.
While the left guard and center spots remained untouched, Gang Green flipped its right tackle over to the left side and kicked the right guard out to right tackle. The final move was bringing rookie Joe Tippmann off the bench to fill the vacancy at right guard.
The Becton- Tomlinson - McGovern - Tippmann -Vera-Tucker combination debuted against the New England Patriots and looked like a more cohesive unit in its second outing against the Kansas City Chiefs.
"I think they have done a nice job from a protection standpoint. I felt like it was back-to-back good days," said head coach Robert Saleh on Monday after a 23-20 Sunday night setback to Kansas City. "They are playing well together. They are communicating well together. A couple things we still have to clean up, but with reps it will get better."
Tippmann, who was drafted as a center out of Wisconsin, has been a productive addition thus far. In two games as the starting right guard, the second-round rookie has permitted only one pressure in 85 total pass blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus analytics.
"A guy like Tipp [Joe Tippmann], jumping in there at right guard, I thought he did a fine job, and I think he’s going to get better as we move forward," said offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett heading into the Week 4 contest against KC.
Despite seeing the large majority of summertime reps at center, the versatile Tippmann has seamlessly switched positions on the interior. Lining up to the right of Tippmann, Vera-Tucker singled out the rookie for his performance.
"Tippmann's doing a good job, too. My right guard, both of us communicating and playing well with each other," said Vera-Tucker on Monday in Florham Park.
Tippmann was tabbed as a Jets Country Riser prior to his second start.
As for Vera-Tucker, there has been no noticeable drop-off in his production since the move from guard to tackle. The 2021 first-round draft pick started at left tackle during the latter part of his Southern California career.
"I feel like it's going smoothly. I feel comfortable out there," said Vera-Tucker, who had previously expressed his willingness to switch positions.
In 2022, Vera-Tucker, who began the season at guard, filled in as starting left tackle for a Week 4 game against Pittsburgh before moving to right tackle for the next three contests.
"I'm gonna play wherever the team needs me to play, wherever they think I fit best on the offensive line," said Vera-Tucker this past August. "Right now, everything's pretty set, but, like last year, things can change in a heartbeat."
Becton is the other moving part of the operation and his bounce-back from a two-year absence has helped stabilize the situation up front.
The 6-foot-7 behemoth was taking backup left tackle reps for the first half of training camp before flipping over to the right side late in the summer in preparation for Brown's return. Now that Brown is unavailable again, Becton is back on the blindside.
Meanwhile, McGovern and Tomlinson have become mainstays at their respective spots. McGovern, who re-signed to a one-year deal this past April, has started 52 of a possible 54 games for the Jets over the past three-plus seasons.
Despite receiving criticism for occasional run blocking struggles, Tomlinson has made all 21 starts since inking a free-agent contract prior to the 2022 campaign.
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