New York Jets fans are more optimistic about the team’s offensive line than they have been in years.
Not everyone around the NFL seems to share in that optimism, though.
Football Insights (@fball_insights on X) recently shared a composite ranking of all 32 NFL offensive lines entering the 2026 season, which combines the rankings of six analysts into an average.
The Jets’ unit finished 18th, with an average ranking of 18.5. They are slotted between the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Is this a fair ranking?
As a matter of fact, if we’re solely evaluating the Jets’ offensive linemen based on their performance in 2025, it’s actually extremely accurate.
After the Jets extended right guard Joe Tippmann in June, we ran an analysis that attempted to project the unit’s ceiling in 2026. As part of that analysis, we found that the aggregate 2025 PFF grades for the Jets’ projected five starting offensive linemen would have ranked 18th among 32 NFL offensive lines.
That’s precisely where the Jets landed in the composite ranking.
The Jets actually ranked 21st in this category last year (aggregate PFF grade generated by all offensive linemen to take a snap for the team), and they’re returning four of their five starters. However, they swapped out left guard John Simpson for Dylan Parham, who had a better season than Simpson, which bumps their projection up by three spots.
So, if Olu Fashanu, Dylan Parham, Josh Myers, Joe Tippmann, and Armand Membou each perform exactly as they did in 2025, then, yes, it is fair to say they will probably be around the 18th-best offensive line in the NFL.
What the composite rankings do not account for, though, is the group’s trajectory.
The Jets have three major positives working in their favor: youth, continuity, and talent.
The oldest starter on the unit is Myers, 28. Three of the five starters are 25-and-under while also possessing first- or second-round talent. On top of all that, the Jets are returning four starters who started all 17 games last year; that type of continuity is valuable in facilitating year-over-year growth.
Because of these factors, the Jets’ offensive line seems poised to take a significant step forward in 2026. In our analysis, we projected that the Jets could have a ceiling as high as the sixth-best offensive line in the NFL if their young players develop as hoped.
There might not be a unit on the Jets’ roster with a higher ceiling than the offensive line. If the Jets are going to exceed expectations this season, they need their most talented unit to fulfill its elite potential.
