As we head into the 2026 season, the New York Jets may finally have an offense to be excited about. They loaded up on playmakers and hope that the synergistic combination of quarterback Geno Smith and offensive coordinator Frank Reich can fully unlock their potential.
While the Jets made meaningful moves across most of the offense, the offensive line was relatively unaddressed. The only notable moves were replacing John Simpson with Dylan Parham and adding Anez Cooper at the end of the draft.
On paper, the Jets’ offensive line was an average unit in 2025 with plenty of upside in 2026.
The Jets added their bookend tackles in the first rounds of the 2024 and 2025 NFL drafts, Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou. Both have had impressive starts to their careers.
The interior is led by Joe Tippmann, who transitioned from center to guard this past year. Veteran center Josh Myers and guard Dylan Parham fill out the remaining spots.
The offensive line was one of the Jets’ best units in 2025. All five starters played all 17 games for the first time in what feels like forever. This cohesion turned into results, as Breece Hall eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career.
Heading into 2026, many expect the unit to take a step forward and solidify itself as a top ten unit for years to come. However, it may be too early to crown them just yet. As we’ll break down, they still have plenty left to prove.
Jets’ bookend tackles need to make the leap from good to great
After years of neglect, the Jets finally righted the ship by drafting an offensive tackle in the top 11 in the 2024 and 2025 NFL drafts. Olu Fashanu drew comparisons to Jets legend D’Brickashaw Ferguson, while Armand Membou’s physical profile gave him a Hall of Fame ceiling.
In their first year together, the results were mixed but encouraging.
Membou announced himself to the NFL world with a dominant performance. His play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 earned an elite 89.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest among all offensive linemen. Meanwhile, Fashanu made strides as a run blocker in Year 2 and settled into his pass protection groove in the second half of the year.
While the Jets should be excited by their young tackle duo, they shouldn’t crown them too early. Membou finished as the 14th-ranked overall right tackle in PFF’s overall rankings (72.7 grade) among players with at least 500 snaps, while Fashanu (69.2 grade) was 17th among left tackles.
Of course, both players are expected to take leaps in 2026, given their age and talent. But the Jets need to see those leaps happen before we can be sure that the offensive line as a whole can take the next step.
The Jets’ interior can hold the offense back
While the Jets’ tackles need to take the leap to elite, the Jets’ interior needs to get to serviceable first.
Joe Tippmann is the Jets’ only interior offensive lineman who graded out as above average in 2025 (66.0 PFF grade, 16th among right guards). While it was a bit of a step back compared to his performance at center a year earlier, Tippmann flashed plenty of upside at guard. Now locked in at right guard for the 2026 season, Tippmann will look to build on his strong finish to the 2025 season and earn a lucrative contract.
Beyond Tippmann, the rest of the Jets’ interior is a concern.
Center Josh Myers was re-signed after starting all 17 games in 2025. While Myers has started all 73 games of his career, he’s consistently graded as one of the worst centers in the NFL. This didn’t change in 2025. Among 34 qualifying centers with 500 snaps, he finished with the second-worst grade at PFF (52.9).
Despite being the weak link, the Jets rewarded Myers with a 2-year, $11 million contract, which ranks 19th among centers in average annual value. They also elected not to make any additions in the draft, despite several quality centers sliding to Day 3.
The Jets also brought in Dylan Parham to replace John Simpson at left guard. Parham joins the Jets after four years with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he was serviceable. Parham had a career year in 2024, ranking 10th-best among right guards with a 74.3 grade.
He came back down to earth in 2025, but still graded out as an above-average left guard, placing 14th among qualifiers at the position with a 63.6 grade. Parham offers versatility as well, playing both guard spots and center throughout his career.
If the Jets get the 2024 version of Parham, the offensive line can take a big leap.
The Jets have the pieces to be top 10, now they need to put it all together
Heading into 2026, the Jets hope their offensive line can make the leap into the NFL’s top 10. They’ve invested several early picks and are returning four out of five starters. Under offensive line coach Steve Heiden, they will look to continue the improvement they showed in the second half of the year.
This improvement is best showcased by Joe Tippmann. Over the first seven games, he allowed a 6.8% pressure rate and had a 51.6 pass-blocking grade. In the final 10, Tippmann’s numbers jumped to 3.2% and 81.9, the latter being the best mark among right guards.
Fashanu and Membou saw similar improvements in pass protection. As a duo, they allowed 42 pressures on 523 pass blocking snaps (8.03%) in Weeks 1-7. From Weeks 8-18, they allowed only 30 pressures on 688 snaps (4.36%).
While Myers will probably maintain his typical quality of play, Parham provides some exciting upside. He likely won’t be an elite pass blocker, but he had the 13th-highest run-blocking grade among all guards (75.6) in 2024. Playing in an improved situation, the Jets can hopefully mitigate his protection concerns while maximizing his run-blocking prowess.
Years of investments finally paid off for the Jets in 2025, but there is still a long way to go. After an encouraging season, the growth of the Jets’ young offensive linemen will determine their ceiling in 2026. With an average age of only 25.0 years old, the group is primed to take a leap.
