The best O-line combo NY Jets could pivot to

One more disastrous game and the New York Jets must consider making changes to their offensive line

Following a mostly tumultuous offseason for the unit, the New York Jets’ offensive line saw its stock rise dramatically in the final weeks leading up to the season opener.

Mekhi Becton stayed healthy, finally moved to right tackle, and looked great in his preseason reps. Laken Tomlinson and Alijah Vera-Tucker returned from short-term injuries to start in the preseason finale. Duane Brown returned to practice not long before the conclusion of training camp.

All of the pieces were coming together just in time for the opener. It felt as if the offensive line was going to be fine after all.

Perhaps that could still end up being the case. But as of now, the offensive line is performing just as woefully as many fans feared it would before the late-August optimism crept in.

Through two weeks, New York’s OL ranks 32nd in allowed pressure rate, per PFF, coughing up 32 pressures on 59 pass snaps (54.2% pressure rate). Not only that, but New York’s running backs have combined to average just 0.4 yards before contact per carry (28th).

It’s too early to panic, especially considering the Jets have started the season by facing two outstanding defenses – including a Cowboys pass rush that might be the NFL’s best. However, if things do not improve soon, the Jets will have to make some changes. Already on their second quarterback, the Jets cannot afford to wait it out and simply cross their fingers that things get better.

Here are a few combinations the Jets could consider pivoting to if (when) the time comes for a change.

1. Bench Brown, Vera-Tucker to LT, Tippmann to RG

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

The first player in line to get benched is easily left tackle Duane Brown.

Now in his 16th season, Brown is 38 years old and he sure looks like it. Yes, he went against Micah Parsons last week – perhaps the most dominant defender in football – but Brown could hardly even lay a finger on Parsons. Getting beat by Parsons is fine, but you have to at least put up a fight and slow him down. Letting him immediately get into the backfield with no resistance is inexcusable.

Brown didn’t look like someone who should still be starting as an NFL blindside protector.

I know it's Parsons. Everyone loses to him every single week. But the SEVERITY of Brown's losses to Parsons is what hurt the Jets so badly. There was zero resistance whatsoever. He may as well have not even been there. You can't run an offense with pressure coming this fast pic.twitter.com/vskd40beMM

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) September 18, 2023

Brown struggled last year, too, especially as a run blocker. However, he played through a torn rotator cuff throughout the season, so the Jets hoped Brown would perform better in 2023 after getting a whole offseason to recover from the injury.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Brown is any better so far. There was always a chance that even a healthy Brown would not be an ideal starter this year. The man is 38. Perhaps he just doesn’t have any gas left in the tank, healthy or not.

Brown deserves at least one more game to prove he can get back on track, but his rope should already be short. The way he played in Dallas destroyed the offense and cannot be tolerated.

It’s not as if Brown will get a break this week, as he now has to face Matthew Judon, but hey, this is the NFL. There are a lot of star pass rushers in this league. If you can’t block them (or at least slow them down), there’s a comfy seat on the bench waiting for you.

If Brown were to sit, the next tackle in line should be Alijah Vera-Tucker. The Jets’ backup tackles, Max Mitchell and Billy Turner, looked atrocious throughout training camp and the preseason. While the Jets want to keep Vera-Tucker at guard where they believe his ceiling is highest, it would be a disservice to the team if they replaced Brown with Mitchell or Turner instead of Vera-Tucker.

Vera-Tucker proved in 2022 that he is capable of providing above-average play at tackle in a pinch – both at right tackle and left tackle. Over a four-game stretch from Weeks 4-7, Vera-Tucker’s ability to play both tackle spots was the glue that single-handedly held together an injury-riddled Jets offensive line. The Jets went 4-0 in Vera-Tucker’s starts tackle.

In his proposed lineup, we have Brown take a seat on the bench and move Vera-Tucker over to Brown’s spot at left tackle. That leaves a vacancy at right guard, where there are two options to replace Vera-Tucker.

The higher-ceiling, lower-floor option is Joe Tippmann, the rookie center who the Jets drafted in the second round. Tippmann played a little bit of guard in the preseason and took some practice reps there, and he played a few snaps at guard in college, but the majority of his experience comes at center.

So, there’s some risk to playing Tippmann at guard, but his upside in that spot is tantalizing. Tippmann is a smooth athlete with excellent length, giving him potential as both a mobile run-blocker and a sturdy pass protector as a guard.

Placing Tippmann at guard becomes especially appealing when you consider how he played in the preseason.

Playing the majority of his reps at center, Tippmann looked phenomenal for the most part, but he had one dire issue: his snap accuracy. Tippmann consistently launched errant snaps throughout all of his preseason appearances. He clearly needs a lot of work in this area – it could be the weakness that held him back from earning the starting job. But if the Jets play him at guard, they don’t have to worry about the snapping issue.

The higher-floor, lower-ceiling choice for right guard is Wes Schweitzer, bringing us to our next proposed lineup.

2. Bench Brown, Vera-Tucker to LT, Schweitzer to RG

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

In this lineup, we simply place Schweitzer at right guard instead of Tippmann.

A 30-year-old player who is in his third consecutive season as a backup, Schweitzer obviously does not offer the ceiling that Tippmann does, but the Jets might consider him a safer option to start at guard than Tippmann.

When Tippmann played 15 snaps at left guard in the Jets’ third preseason game, he mostly struggled. He did not look nearly as comfortable as he did at center.

While Tippmann deserves some slack since it’s a tiny sample and those were his first live-game snaps at guard since 2020, it’s still worth noting because Schweitzer enjoyed an excellent preseason. From the small dosage of reps we saw in the preseason, Schweitzer looked like a better guard than Tippmann.

Schweitzer has logged 54 NFL starts at guard. It’s very possible the Jets could deem him a safer option than Tippmann to fill in for Vera-Tucker at right guard.

3. Bench Brown, Becton to LT, Vera-Tucker to RT, Tippmann or Schweitzer to RG

• LT: Mekhi Becton
• LG: Laken Tomlinson
• C: Connor McGovern
• RG: Tippmann or Schweitzer
• RT: Alijah Vera-Tucker

This proposal is a tad more adventurous.

If the Jets bench Brown, what if they use it as an opportunity to move Becton back to his preferred left tackle spot? Not only has Becton publicly stated that he prefers the left side, but it is also the side that places less stress on his injured right knee.

The Jets could move Becton to the left side and have Vera-Tucker kick out to Becton’s spot on the right side. Then, they could have either Schweitzer or Tippmann fill in at right guard.

Considering the amount of maneuvering going on here, I don’t think the Jets would choose this lineup over the less complicated option of just having Vera-Tucker move, but it’s an idea worth bringing up.

4. Bench Brown and Tomlinson

• LT: Becton or Vera-Tucker
• LG: Tippmann or Schweitzer
• C: Connor McGovern
• RG: Tippmann or Schweitzer
• RT: Becton or Vera-Tucker

After Brown, the second-most likely player to be benched is likely Laken Tomlinson. The Jets will probably hold on to dear life for as long as they can to try and justify the $40 million investment they made in him, but he may force their hand soon with the way he is playing.

Watch Laken Tomlinson(#78) on this play. Bro is light jogging like he’s going a for a stroll in the park when in reality he’s the lead block for a screen pass. Unacceptable and lazy pic.twitter.com/Hlg78gXYFY

— NYJ ACE🂡 (@NYJACE_) September 14, 2023

If the Jets to decide to completely shake things up by benching both Brown and Tomlinson, that leaves a multitude of options.

Becton and Vera-Tucker would likely serve as the new tackle duo, and the Jets could choose which side they prefer each player to be on. The same goes for the interior. With Tomlinson riding the pine, both Tippmann and Schweitzer would now start, allowing the Jets to choose the side they prefer for each player.

5. Bench Brown and McGovern

• LT: Becton or Vera-Tucker
• LG: Laken Tomlinson
• C: Tippmann or Schweitzer
• RG: Tippmann or Schweitzer
• RT: Becton or Vera-Tucker

Closely competing with Tomlinson for the second-highest odds of being benched is Connor McGovern. The Jets’ starting center could only fetch a one-year, $1.9 million contract on the open market in free agency, and so far, that is the level he is playing at.

McGovern is frequently whiffing on run blocks at the second level, and in pass protection, he has been involved in numerous communication breakdowns, continuing his struggles in that area from previous seasons.

If the Jets bench McGovern along with Brown, that would vacate two interior spots, as Vera-Tucker would be moving to tackle. This means the Jets could choose between Schweitzer or Tippmann as the new center with the other player going to right guard.

Tippmann is obviously the more appealing option, but his snapping issues in the preseason are concerning. If he has not shown improvement in his snapping accuracy during practice, it could be hard for the Jets to trust him. If he has, though, Tippmann is likely an immediate upgrade over McGovern.

While Tippmann’s inexperience could be concerning for a starting center (since it’s a highly cerebral position that plays an integral role in the offensive communication), it is important to remember that Tippmann spent far more time working with Zach Wilson in the preseason and training camp than McGovern. Tippmann was working with the second-team offense while McGovern mostly worked with the starters.

Plus, even with all his experience, it’s not as if McGovern is anchoring a well-oiled machine out there, anyway. The chemistry and communication could hardly get worse.

If the Jets are too concerned with Tippmann’s snap accuracy or inexperience to start him at center, the Jets could also start Schweitzer in that spot, but Schweitzer has been much better at guard than center in his career. The majority of Schweitzer’s career snaps at center came in 2022, and it was arguably his worst season.

What is the best option?

Ultimately, I believe the first option we discussed in this article is both the most likely and best option for the Jets: moving Vera-Tucker to left tackle and Tippmann to right guard.

It’s a relatively simple move that doesn’t require a crazy amount of shuffling, and it puts arguably the five most talented offensive linemen on the field together. While the Jets could also choose Schweitzer over Tippmann, I think they will lean toward their second-round pick who showed an immense amount of potential in the preseason.

I don’t believe the Jets are on the verge of benching Tomlinson or McGovern just yet. Brown is the easiest scapegoat. They will most likely start with him, and if things don’t improve, I can see another change being made soon thereafter.

What changes do you think the Jets should make to their starting offensive line?