John Simpson is the wild card of the NY Jets offensive line

The NY Jets made a trio of additions to their offensive line this offseason as the team sought to completely reshape a unit that was among the worst in the NFL a year ago. But while the likes of Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses have received most of the attention, the true wild card of the offensive line is John Simpson.

A fourth-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2020 NFL Draft, Simpson struggled in his three years with his first team, failing as a starter before being relegated to a bench role and getting released before the end of his rookie contract.

But Simpson found a new life in Baltimore, signing with the Ravens' practice squad before earning a starting job the following summer. What followed was easily the best season of his career in 2023.

The Jets signed Simpson to a very cheap two-year, $12 million contract in the offseason, made even more affordable by the exploding guard market. The market dictates Simpson is a replacement-level starting guard, but the Jets are hoping their evaluation is right and he can be more than that.

The NY Jets hope John Simpson's arrow is firmly pointing up

At just 26 years old, Simpson is still young enough that the Jets believe he has some untapped potential. They believe that the 2023 season wasn't an outlier and that he's an ascending player signed to a team-friendly contract.

How true is that? Well, it's hard to say right now. Simpson was a mess in Las Vegas, serving as arguably the weakest link on one of the NFL's worst offensive lines in 2021. The fact that he was waived before the end of his third pro season says all you need to know about his Raiders tenure.

Simpson showed signs of progress in Baltimore. The former Clemson standout ranked 21st in Pro Football Focus's pressure rate (4.19%), 21st in NFL Next Gen Stats’ pressure rate (6.53%), and 24th in ESPN’s pass-block win rate (92.5%).

He was an above-average guard in pass protection last season, but despite being known for his run-blocking, he graded out quite poorly in that area. Simpson's 57.2 PFF run-block grade ranked 49th out of 79 qualifiers while his ESPN run-block win rate of 66.3 percent ranked 67th.

It's also important to note that Simpson was the weakest link on an admittedly talented Ravens offensive line in 2023. Concerns that his performance was inflated by his situation are valid, but that doesn't take into account his entire situation.

Blocking for a quarterback like Lamar Jackson isn't always easy on offensive linemen. Jackson's ability to scramble and extend plays means that linemen are forced to hold their blocks for longer than usual.

That was the case for Simpson in 2023, as he averaged 3.32 seconds from snap to pressure, which ranked as the ninth-best among all offensive guards. When he did allow pressures, they were rarely immediate, and some of his pressures can likely be partially credited to Jackson's escapability.

Simpson was, in totality, a below-average starter by most accounts in 2023, but there are elements of his game that are encouraging and indicate the arrow is pointing up. His pass protection numbers were genuinely impressive, and his calling card has always been his run-blocking.

The Jets don't need Simpson to play at an All-Pro level in 2024, but if they can get even league-average play out of him, that would go a long way toward establishing the offensive line as a genuine strength of the roster.

You can live with 2023 John Simpson as your worst starting offensive lineman. The Jets are hoping that 2024 John Simpson is even better.

This article is part of the "Summer Spotlight" series on The Jet Press, dedicated to highlighting individual players on the Jets roster throughout the summer. Stay tuned for more features as we provide in-depth profiles and insights on various Jets players before the season kicks off.

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