Two Interior Offensive Linemen Heading to IR, Leave Jets Severely Shorthanded

The Green & White are down to a fourth-string center with no true backup guards on the 53-man roster

Author:
Ralph Ventre
Publish date:
Oct 30, 2023 8:09 PM EDT

In this story:

The New York Jets' interior offensive line depth has all but evaporated.

Second-round rookie Joe Tippmann is already on the shelf and two more teammates will join him in the aftermath of the the team's Week 8 win over the Giants.

Center Connor McGovern, who is in his fourth season as the Jets' starter, and backup guard Wes Schweitzer left the eventual 13-10 win over the Giants in the first half due to injury and never returned. On Monday, Jets' third-year head coach Robert Saleh announced that both linemen are destined for a stint on Injured Reserve.

"Connor McGovern is dealing with his knee, he is going to go to IR. He does have a chance to return. Wes Schweitzer is dealing with a calf, he is also going to go to IR with a chance to return later in the season," said Saleh on Monday afternoon in Florham Park.

Saleh did not go into any detail on either injury, but earlier in the day, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that McGovern "suffered a dislocated knee cap."

The 30-year-old McGovern, who had started 54 of the last 56 games for the Jets, went down less than 3:00 into the second quarter. He limped off the field toward the blue medical tent on the Jets' sideline and was subsequently carted off to the locker-room.

After McGovern exited late in the first quarter on Sunday, Schweitzer moved over from right guard to center but was injured 8:00 later.

The Jets were carrying three centers on their 53-man roster, but astonishingly none were available for the second half of the team's latest victory.

With Tippmann, who starts at right guard and doubles as the second-string snapper, still nursing a quad injury, Schweitzer stepped up off the bench to cover both roles in Week 8. His premature exit forced the team to deploy a Practice Squad player, who has been a Jet for less than one month, as the center.

Xavier Newman, a second-year pro with limited game experience, was elevated as gameday insurance and wound up playing two different positions. First, he entered as the right guard when Schweitzer moved to center. Next, he found himself snapping the ball to Zach Wilson during his Jets' debut.

"It is amazing, he goes from scout team player of the week to, ‘Hey, you’re up to, oh look, you’re starting at guard. Now you’re taking your first snap at center in an NFL game with a zero-nose sitting right on top of you,'" said Saleh.

Newman, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2022, was on the field for 72 percent of offensive plays against a Giants' defensive front that featured handsomely-paid Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence. On his first snap, there was a problem on the center-quarterback exchange and the ball was fumbled away to the Giants. There appeared to be no further issues after the initial miscue.

"Credit to him, he didn’t waver even after the initial fumble. He didn’t flinch and I thought he did a really nice job," said Saleh.

While Newman slid left one spot to center, veteran tackle Billy Turner came off the bench to handle right guard duties for 36 snaps.

Turner became the fourth different player to man the RG spot for the Jets through seven games. Alijah Vera-Tucker, who subsequently moved to right tackle before suffering a season-ending injury, was the Week 1 starter at right guard.

The Jets have second-year guard Jason Poe on their Practice Squad, but could look to add someone from the outside in the coming days. Tippmann may not be ready to return in time for the Week 9 Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Meanwhile, Newman, who joined the Jets on October 5, played himself into the mix on Sunday.

"Right now, we have who we have X [Newman]. Obviously, he’s definitely going to be an option. Once the smoke clears, dust settles, we add people back to the offensive line room," said Saleh.