Dylan Parham was quietly the Jets' best offensive lineman in Week 1

One of the best outcomes for the New York Jets after Week 1 was their offensive line dominating the trenches the way everyone expected them to throughout the summer. Quarterback Geno Smith wasn't touched all day, allowing him to deliver the ball to the Jets' playmakers.

Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu, the Jets' bookend offensive tackles, are the stars of the bunch. The 2024 and 2025 first-round draft picks have continued to ascend every year they've been in the league. Joe Tippmann, fresh off an extension, had a solid outing as well.

But it was the Jets' newest addition who ended up being the best performer of the bunch, according to Pro Football Focus: Dylan Parham. The former Las Vegas Raiders and John Simpson replacement had an incredible first outing donning the Green & White.

Throughout the offseason, there were concerns that Parham would not be able to replicate the steady play that Simpson displayed throughout his first few years in New York. Instead, in Week 1, Parham blew past those expectations.

Dylan Parham dominates in first outing with New York Jets

Parham, who was panned as a risky signing when acquired in free agency, actually ended up being the highest-graded guard throughout the entire NFL in Week 1, as shared by The Jet Press's Justin Fried.

"Dylan Parham’s 93.5 PFF grade in his Jets debut is currently the HIGHEST among all NFL offensive linemen in Week 1 by a sizable margin. His 92.9 PFF run block grade is also the highest among all OL. Parham did allow a team-high 4 pressures but was utterly dominant in the run game. Not all 'pressures' are created equal as well."

It's really starting to feel like the Jets offensive line will be the biggest strength of the team in 2026. Despite all of the weaponry they added, it would all be for naught without the big guys up front. It's encouraging to see the newest member of that unit is pulling his weight.

Dylan Parham was predicted to be a New York Jets free agent bust

It wasn't long ago that some NFL analysts were predicting Parham to be a waste of resources. ESPN's Bill Barnwell called him the Jets' worst free-agent signing in March.

Clearly, that prediction was a bit premature. Just because someone played for the worst team in football last year doesn't necessarily mean they're also a bad player.

Parham clearly has some juice as a guard in this league, and having him under contract for the next two seasons at $8 million per year may wind up being an incredible steal.

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