Throughout his first two seasons with the New York Jets after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, left tackle Olu Fashanu has had varying but ultimately promising results.

Entering Year 3, where he is looking to reach new heights, it seems like the perfect time for the Penn State product to compile his best season yet.

Fashanu’s promising end to 2025

Although his numbers weren’t great across the first few weeks of the season, right before the year’s midway point, Fashanu really began to hit his stride.

From Weeks 7-18 last season, among 70 qualified tackles (minimum 300 snaps over that span), his 80.2 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus ranked the 10th-best in the league, just 0.2 points away from Detroit Lions star Penei Sewell.

Furthermore, he surrendered only two quarterback hits during the range, as he remained an elite pass protector.

He was also one of just three qualifiers not to commit a penalty over that span, alongside Warren McClendon of the Los Angeles Rams and Jaylon Moore of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The meaningful shift in 2026

Ultimately, the goal is for Fashanu to play at that level over a full 17-game season, which is certainly plausible, and 2026 could undoubtedly be the year where he starts to reach that caliber.

Last season, the Jets structured their offensive identity around the rushing game, which is one of the reasons Justin Fields was brought in as the team’s quarterback.

Obviously, that didn’t work out, as Gang Green ranked among the worst offenses in football and Fields was benched nine games into the season, and the team finished the year with a 3-14 record.

Now, the Jets’ offense is expected to look much different.

With Geno Smith at the helm, it appears New York is going to take a much more balanced approach.

While their run game and utilization of Breece Hall, whom the organization recently locked up on a three-year, $43.5 million contract, will be crucial, it appears the team finally has a quarterback whom they trust to throw the ball in Smith.

During his time with the Seattle Seahawks, Smith consistently ranked among the best deep passers in football.

Overall, the Jets should be passing the ball a lot more in 2026 than their 29.1 attempts per game last season, which ranked 27th among 32 teams, and this expected shift will immensely benefit Fashanu.

How it helps Fashanu

From his days at Penn State to now, where he is entering his third NFL season, Fashanu is a far better pass-protector than he is as a run-blocker.

Given that, when the Jets relied heavily on running the ball last year, it exposed some of his weak spots. While he will need to improve in that area to consistently perform among the league’s top tackles, he will have more opportunities to do what he does best this season.

As I noted above, his 80.2 pass-blocking grade per PFF from Weeks 7-18 last season was the 10th-best among tackles, while his running blocking grade of 61.7 over that stretch ranked 43rd.

If Fashanu can carry the momentum that he finished the 2025 season with into a more pass-heavy offense, 2026 could be the year where the 23-year-old finally unleashes the best version of himself.