For most of the past 20 years, the terms “New York Jets” and “elite offensive line play” have not gone hand in hand.
But for a brief stretch of seasons, they did. And it was to a degree that no other NFL team has matched over the last two decades.
Pro Football Focus recently named the best positional units in their history of tracking, which dates back to the 2006 season. The highest-rated offensive line over that span? That would be the Jets’ 2008 group.
“The Jets probably weren’t the initial guess here, but looking back at their roster helps explain their two-year stretch of trench dominance. Four of New York’s five starting offensive linemen — Nick Mangold, Damien Woody, D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Brandon Moore — all played to a 90.9-plus overall grade. Meanwhile, Hall of Fame inductee Alan Faneca was the “worst” of the contingent with a 79.0. The unit also benefited from only utilizing only those five starters all year.”
The 2008 Jets offensive line had everything you could ask for: continuity, premium young talent, and experienced veterans.
All five starters played in all 16 games. The Jets had two talented homegrown first-round picks in center Nick Mangold and left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. They were surrounded by a pair of 30-plus veterans with a Pro Bowl pedigree, left guard Alan Faneca and right tackle Damien Woody. Right guard Brandon Moore, a future Pro Bowler, rounded out the unit.
Behind this elite group, quarterback Brett Favre was pressured on just 20.6% of his dropbacks, the lowest rate in all of football. The Jets also ranked fifth-best in the NFL with 4.7 yards per rush attempt.
Anchored by Ferguson, Mangold, and Moore, the Jets continued to have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines through the 2010 season. From there, age and poor drafting caught up to the unit. The Jets’ offensive line has mostly struggled since then.
But things appear to be on the up and up. With recent first-round tackles Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu, as well as the freshly extended second-round right guard Joe Tippmann, the Jets have what they believe is the core of their next elite offensive line.
The Jets’ last run of multi-year playoff contention coincided with their last stretch of high-level offensive line play. Perhaps if that unit returns to prominence in 2026, so will the team.
