After struggling with injuries and poor performance on the offensive line for back-to-back seasons, New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is confident the situation has changed.
During his media availability, Saleh said he feels the offensive line depth is in “good shape.”
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“Looking at the group that went out there, it was really good. It was a group that was very similar to the group that we lined up with a year ago,” he stated. “[Joe] Tippman is older, so he’s better. [Xavier] Newman’s better. Wes [Schweitzer] has gotten better, obviously Max [Mitchell] and Carter [Warren] have gotten better. Then you look at Olu [Fashanu] as a rookie. The second group is very exciting.”
Saleh praised Fashanu’s NFL preseason debut, saying he did a lot of things “really well” against the Commanders. He also talked about the rookie starting to get work at both tackle positions for the first time on Monday.
It is a positive sign that the coaching staff is high on their offensive line depth. Given the injury histories of Tyron Smith, Morgan Moses, and Alijah Vera-Tucker, having reliable backups is crucial. On the positive side, the Jets’ injuries in previous years gave many of their depth pieces playing experience. However, the results were poor, so improvements among the second-team offensive linemen are important.
Against the Commanders, Olu Fashanu (14 pass-blocking snaps), Chris Glaser (17), Carter Warren (15), Max Mitchell (14), Austin Deculus (13), Wes Schweitzer (4), and Joe Tippmann (4) did not allow any pressures. While it was against inferior competition and some of those players may not make the team, it’s a strong mark for those players, particularly Fashanu, Warren, and Mitchell.
The real test will be seeing if the linemen can sustain their play throughout the summer against other opponents. If they can, the Jets will be in an excellent position heading into the start of the 2024 season.
