New York Jets fans should be excited about the team’s offensive line. The unit has the upside to reach a top-10 level in 2026 and beyond.
That level of play should be the expectation for a team that invested two top-11 picks in their tackles, Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu, along with a second-round pick in their right guard, Joe Tippmann.
Fans have every right to feel fully confident in the 22-year-old Membou, who had a fantastic rookie year and could very well solidify himself as a top right tackle by the end of this season. Tippmann has flashed high-level play at both guard and center, making his four-year extension this offseason warranted.
As for Fashanu, though, there hasn’t been much to cling to other than where he was drafted. He’s looked solid at times, but as he enters his second year as a starter and his third in the league, he hasn’t made an overwhelming impact.
In 2025, starting all 17 games for the Jets at left tackle, Fashanu earned a 69.1 overall grade at Pro Football Focus, which ranked 17th among 31 qualified left tackles (min. 500 snaps). His film backed up the numbers; Fashanu was inconsistent and didn’t look much better than an average starter.
Furthermore, his preseason showing hasn’t been very encouraging either. Throughout the Jets’ first two preseason games, he has a 45.1 pass-blocking grade at PFF, although that was on just 14 pass-blocking snaps. Still, Fashanu’s pass-blocking grade has been the worst among the Jets’ starting OL by a wide margin, with no other player below a 66.
Should fans begin to grow concerned with the Penn State product?
Time to panic?
The good news is that Fashanu is still just 23 and has only made 24 starts, including seven in his rookie season, where he had a weird introduction to the NFL.
In those seven starts, he moved around the offensive line, playing left tackle, his primary position (336 snaps), along with the opposite side at right tackle (159) and also right guard (37).
Prior to his rookie campaign, Fashanu had never taken an in-game snap at right guard in his life. Yes, you read that correctly. Not once in his life during a game.
Fashanu began his rookie year as a backup before injuries forced him in at right tackle, followed by an emergency appearance at right guard. It was not until Week 11 that Fashanu finally got to start at his natural position, making five starts at left tackle to close the season.
Last season was his first real opportunity to settle in as the Jets’ full-time left tackle. That context is important.
It’s unfair to fully assess Fashanu’s fate based on one full season as a starter, especially where New York’s quarterbacks held onto the ball for an excessive amount of time, skewing certain pass-protection metrics.
Still, the Jets did not draft him at No. 11 overall to be a middle-of-the-road LT. When a player, particularly an offensive lineman, is selected with a premium selection like that, they are expected to develop into an elite player at their position.
As he enters his second season as the team’s full-time starter, he will have added responsibility. He is not just protecting a quarterback’s blindside; he’s protecting Geno Smith.
That’s crucial to note because with a clean pocket, Smith has shown that he can still produce at a high level. When he faces pressure, though, he struggles mightily. That was one of the main reasons for his fall-off in 2025.
With strong protection, Smith could be the Jets’ best quarterback since Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 10-6 run in 2015. Without that protection, though, he could struggle just as much as he did last season with the Las Vegas Raiders, when he led the league in interceptions and steered Vegas to the No. 1 overall pick.
The good news is that Fashanu has shown a high ceiling in pass protection. He closed the 2025 season on a high note after a rough start. From Weeks 7-18, among 70 qualified tackles (minimum 300 snaps over that span), Fashanu’s 80.2 pass-blocking grade at PFF ranked 10th, just 0.2 points behind Detroit Lions star Penei Sewell.
Now, it’s about turning that into consistent output. Fashanu needs to perform like that across all 17 games in 2026. From a high draft pick, that type of production should be expected.
The most growth, though, needs to come in the run game. While Fashanu’s pass-blocking grade from PFF ranked 10th out of 70 qualifiers over the final 12 weeks in 2025, his 61.7 run-blocking mark finished 43rd over that span.
While the Jets are expected to pass the ball much more in 2026 than they did the year prior, the run game will still play an important role in the team’s offense.
Membou proved to be a fantastic run blocker during his rookie season. If Fashanu can get to a point where he’s league average in that regard, that would be a nice boost for the Jets’ offense. It would create added ambiguity for opposing defenses, as the Jets could confidently run the ball to either end of the line.
So, no, it’s not time to panic over Fashanu just yet. His 24 career starts aren’t enough to make a final judgment on his game whatsoever. His strong close to the 2025 season should leave fans encouraged moving forward, regardless of what his small-sample preseason numbers show.
It may be a little extreme to say 2026 is a “prove it” year for Fashanu, but it’s certainly an important season. While it’s too early to label him a disappointment, he is also past the point where his draft position alone should be the main reason for confidence.
By the end of 2026, Fashanu should have hit his stride.
