Jets may need to take a page out of the Jaguars' playbook to fix major weakness

At some point, you’ve likely heard that sometimes the best move is to do nothing. Such a premise should not apply to Darren Mougey and the New York Jets, at least as it pertains to their offensive line.

Luckily for the Jets, their current issue isn’t with the starting five. Mougey all but made that clear when he re-signed guard Joe Tippmann earlier this summer. But all it takes is an injury to completely upend a group tasked with keeping Geno Smith — and potentially Cade Klubnik — on their feet. 

We saw flashes from sixth-round rookie Anez Cooper in the first preseason game against the Buccaneers. However, Cooper’s struggles against the Steelers this past weekend should be a reminder that the Jets, much like the Jaguars did last week, should try to capitalize on whichever veteran offensive linemen become available in the coming days. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars just gave the New York Jets a perfect blueprint to follow

You may have missed it while you were too busy signing up for the Braelon Allen Fan Club, but Jacksonville sent a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Giants for backup guard Daniel Faalele. The move was slightly surprising, partly because Faalele had played his first four seasons for new Giants coach John Harbaugh in Baltimore.

But just the fact that Faalele was available remains fascinating. You’d think that the Giants, despite returning four of five offensive line starters, would feel far more comfortable having Faalele as an emergency option rather than turning to Evan Neal. 

And before going any further, let’s be clear: the Jets absolutely should not try to acquire Neal. We’ve already seen how poorly he’s handled playing in the New York market. Remember: Giants fans will mock you if you make fun of them, and Jets fans will search for the tire iron.

With how chaotic final cuts often get, it’s way too early to realistically predict which offensive linemen could land on the Jets’ radar. Some teams might take the Giants’ approach and flip a projected high-level backup, and we might even watch a projected starter unexpectedly find a new home.

We can talk about possible trade targets another day, because that’s not really the point right now. Mougey and Aaron Glenn can’t maintain the status quo if an opportunity arises to land someone with a similar résumé to Faalele, who started every game over the last two years in Baltimore.

On the topic of backup offensive linemen, it’d be interesting to learn whether Glenn would move Tippmann back to center if Josh Myers were to get injured. Xavier Newman, who has played in 21 games (with four starts) since joining the Jets in 2023, projects as the current backup center.

The fact that we’re talking about the second-string offensive line rather than quarterback controversies or Glenn’s job security is proof enough that Mougey has done a terrific job in bringing positive buzz back to the Jets. Now let’s see what he has planned for the Week 1 roster. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow