Much has been made of the New York Jets’ many skill-position additions to an offense that scored 10 points or fewer in eight of its 17 games during the 2025 season.
First-round picks Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. bring much-needed juice to the pass-catching room, while quarterback Geno Smith offers veteran savvy and downfield aggressiveness that the Jets have been lacking.
But the Jets’ most underrated, and potentially most impactful offensive addition, might be left guard Dylan Parham, formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders.
New York signed the 26-year-old to a two-year, $16 million deal in free agency. Parham is slated to fill the starting spot vacated by John Simpson, the only starter from the Jets’ 2025 offensive line who will not return.
On paper, the swap looks like a potential steal for the Jets. Not only is Parham younger and cheaper than Simpson (who signed a three-year, $30 million deal at age 28), but he was also more productive last year, at least according to Pro Football Focus. Parham’s 63.6 overall grade ranked 14th among qualified left guards (min. 500 snaps), while Simpson’s 56.9 grade ranked 20th.
To boot, Parham committed only five penalties to Simpson’s 11.
There is another stat, though, that really captures how impactful Parham could be for Gang Green.
According to the website RayCarp, the Raiders’ offense averaged 0.248 more EPA (Expected Points Added) per play with Parham on the field (-0.154) than when he was off (-0.402). This was the second-best disparity in the NFL among guards who had at least 150 snaps both on and off the field.
- Graham Glasgow (+0.261)
- Dylan Parham (+0.248)
- Isaac Seumalo (+0.211)
Given Parham’s surroundings in Las Vegas, it makes sense that he had such a noticeable impact.
Parham achieved his 14th-place PFF-grade ranking among left guards despite playing on a woeful Raiders offensive line. As a team, the Raiders ranked third-worst in run-blocking grade and fifth-worst in pass-blocking grade, per PFF.
In fact, Parham was the lone above-average starter on the unit. Of the five Raiders offensive linemen who played at least 500 snaps, Parham was the only one who ranked among the top 16 players at his position in PFF’s overall grade.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Parham’s on-off differential was one of the starkest in the NFL among guards. When he was on the sidelines, the Raiders did not have an above-average offensive lineman on the field.
Parham likely won’t have nearly the same on-off differential in New York, where the Jets expect to have at least four above-average starting linemen, including Parham. However, Parham’s on-off differential paints his future projection in a promising light.
Individual offensive line statistics can be highly dependent on a player’s surroundings. If a player is playing beside weak linemen, he will likely be placed in significantly more situations where he might get blamed for allowing a pressure or a run stuff than a player who plays beside excellent linemen.
Imagine if one left guard has Laremy Tunsil next to him to help handle a stunt, while the other has Stone Forsythe (the Raiders’ left tackle for 704 snaps last season). The first left guard will certainly be put in fewer precarious spots than the second left guard, which will make his stats (i.e. PFF grade) look better simply because of his surroundings.
This is what makes Parham’s outlook so promising going into 2026.
Parham already earned a 14th-place PFF grade among left guards despite not playing beside a single above-average qualified starter in Las Vegas. Now that he will be entering a much more solidified offensive line, his statistics should only be expected to improve.
In fact, we have already seen Parham post stronger statistics when given the chance to play within a competent unit. In the 2024 season, when the Raiders ranked 14th in PFF’s pass-blocking grade and 19th in PFF’s run-blocking grade as a team, Parham earned a 74.3 overall grade, good enough for 10th among right guards and over 10 points ahead of his 2025 performance.
It’s possible that, even if he essentially plays the same level of football as he did last year, Parham could spike back up to a 70+ PFF grade in 2026 just by entering a better situation in New York.
If he does, Parham could end up being ranked as one of the league’s best left guards. For context, in 2025, a 74.3 overall PFF grade would have ranked eighth-best among left guards (min. 500 snaps).
That would represent a 12-spot jump over Simpson’s ranking.
There has been plenty of hype about the Jets’ offensive line this offseason. Understandably, it mostly centers around the upside of the Jets’ up-and-coming, homegrown, premium draft picks: Olu Fashanu, Joe Tippmann, and Armand Membou.
But it’s their overlooked veteran free agent pickup who might be the unit’s biggest source of improvement.
