Armand Membou keeps building his unlikely Offensive Rookie of the Year case

Armand Membou won’t win Offensive Rookie of the Year — the award just isn't meant to be given to offensive linemen. But he’s quietly putting together a season that deserves to be in that conversation anyway.

Offensive linemen rarely get any spotlight, much less awards, but the New York Jets’ rookie right tackle has been so consistently dominant that it’s impossible to ignore him at this stage.

A first-year regime trying to rebuild its foundation under Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn seems to have already struck gold with its 2025 first-round pick. Membou has started every game since Week 1 and hasn’t looked remotely overmatched, holding his own against some of the NFL’s best pass rushers.

While flashier rookies like Emeka Egbuka, Tyler Warren, and Jaxson Dart will command the OROY attention, Membou’s quiet excellence in the trenches might be more impressive than any of them. For the first time in years, the Jets look set at both tackle spots for the foreseeable future.

Armand Membou has quickly become a Jets franchise cornerstone

Membou’s case starts with the numbers. He remains Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded rookie offensive tackle this season and one of only 18 qualified tackles in the entire NFL to post both a pass-blocking and run-blocking grade above 70.0.

Through nine starts, he’s allowed just three sacks and 21 total pressures, which is excellent for any tackle, let alone a rookie protecting behind a quarterback in Justin Fields who tends to hold onto the ball far too long. Fields has undoubtedly made his offensive line's numbers look worse this season.

His latest performance might have been his most impressive. Facing the Cleveland Browns’ ferocious front, Membou and left tackle Olu Fashanu limited Myles Garrett to just two pressures, one sack, and a 58.2 PFF pass-rush grade.

That mark was Garrett’s lowest of the season and his second-lowest in six years. The Jets also bulldozed their way to 127 rushing yards against Cleveland, the second-most the Browns have allowed all year.

Membou’s emergence has helped solidify the offensive line as a legitimate strength for the Jets. The team has jumped from 26th to 10th in rushing yards before contact per carry this season, a testament to how much Membou — along with a new offensive line coach — has elevated the group’s performance.

No, Membou won’t walk away with any hardware in February. Offensive linemen just don’t win Offensive Rookie of the Year, no matter how deserving they are. But that doesn’t make his rise this season any less remarkable.

The Jets spent years searching for stability in the trenches, and now they finally have it. Membou has quickly emerged as another franchise cornerstone to build around, and the fact that he’s still only 21 years old (!) makes it all the more impressive.