5 NY Jets mistakes that doomed the team in 2023

The 2023 NY Jets were an abject disappointment. After going out and obtaining a new quarterback to replace Zach Wilson, Jets fans were yet again watching Wilson week in and week out for the majority of the season.

Injuries piled up on offense, and the coaching was suspect on offense. The Jets have a championship-caliber defense and cannot afford to waste it again while some of their best players are on rookie deals.

In order for the Jets not to have another underwhelming season, these are the five biggest mistakes they must avoid repeating:

5. Relying on injury prone offensive lineman

On paper, the Jets' proposed starting offensive line for 2023 actually would have been much better than what we ended up seeing. It consisted of the following:

• LT: Duane Brown
• LG: Laken Tomlinson
• C: Connor McGovern
• RG: Alijah Vera-Tucker
• RT: Mekhi Becton

The problem was that by Week 3, Duane Brown was back on IR with a hip injury. Relying on a 38-year-old offensive lineman with an injury history, who wasn’t able to participate in training camp as he nursed a shoulder injury, to last 17 games (or more) was a fatal mistake.

It threw the offensive line into flux, as the Jets ended up using 14 different linemen and 13 different combinations. Players were forced to play out of position, such as Alijah Vera-Tucker playing right tackle instead of right guard, and rookie Joe Tippman starting at right guard before eventually moving to his drafted position of center due to injuries.

There is one potential signing that Aaron Rodgers has had his eyes set on since he arrived. It has been reported that the Green Bay Packers have plans to release left tackle David Bakhtiari.

While Bakhtiari is a Pro Bowl left tackle when healthy, he hasn’t been healthy in three years. In these past three years, he has had four knee surgeries, all on the same knee.

If the Jets decide to pursue Bakhtiari, he should be considered a third-string left tackle. He should not be relied on to start otherwise, the Jets will have Duane Brown 2.0 in 2024.

If Joe Douglas can sign him to a cheap incentive-laden contract, then the Jets should do it. Otherwise, the Jets need to exercise caution and be wary of signing another tackle with extensive injury history.

If the Jets are going to be successful in 2024, they need stability on the offensive line. This is going to require some key signings and/or draft picks, as well as some injury luck. Let’s hope 2024 is different from 2023.