The New York Jets’ preseason finale against the New York Giants featured many plot twists to positional battles across the roster.

That includes one of the most overlooked weaknesses on the back end of the Jets’ depth chart: interior offensive line.

Despite the 23-6 loss, the Jets saw a player at this position of weakness deliver his third straight excellent preseason performance: Marquis Hayes.

As a result, the Jets’ roster decisions at IOL are suddenly poised to look very different from what people expected 24 hours ago.

How things are shaping up for the Jets’ IOL situation

The Jets’ backup interior offensive linemen have a combined total of five career starts, all coming from Xavier Newman, who struggled in those five starts for New York back in 2023. Otherwise, the group has no regular-season experience whatsoever.

However, 27-year-old Marquis Hayes is emerging as a possible solution at backup guard.

Coming into the game, Hayes was among the Jets players who had started the preseason with two straight standout performances, giving him a chance to complete a clean sweep. He did just that.

Against the Giants, Hayes allowed no sacks, no hits, and one hurry across 22 pass-blocking snaps, while committing no penalties for the third straight game.

Hayes completed the preseason with no sacks, no hits, and one hurry allowed on 44 pass-blocking snaps, while committing no penalties on 71 total offensive snaps. He also earned an 80.0 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.

After the conclusion of Friday’s games, Hayes’ 85.2 overall PFF grade ranks fourth-best among guards (min. 50 snaps) this preseason. He ranks 12th in run-blocking grade and sixth in pass-blocking grade (85.3).

In 2025, Hayes made the Jets’ initial 53-man roster as a 10th offensive lineman, but he was released and signed to the practice squad after the Jets made waiver claims.

This year, it seemed as if Hayes was again pursuing a spot as the Jets’ 10th offensive lineman. Right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, left tackle/emergency guard Max Mitchell, center Xavier Newman, and right guard Anez Cooper seemed like locks for the Jets’ backup offensive line, bringing them to nine locked-in linemen.

Hayes was pushing to be the 10th player (prior to any outside additions), presumably to provide security at guard if the Jets preferred him over Mitchell (not a natural guard) or Cooper (sixth-round rookie) as the first guard off the bench.

Now, though, Hayes might be a necessary inclusion.

Cooper left Friday night’s game with a shoulder injury and was quickly ruled out. His status is unknown.

If Cooper is set to miss extended time, he could start the season on short-term injured reserve. That would leave the Jets with a hole at backup guard, and Hayes has positioned himself well to be the next man up.

Hayes, a 2022 seventh-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals, has never played a regular-season snap. However, his performance across the last two preseasons for the Jets has been strong enough to suggest that he deserves a chance as a backup guard.

This year’s pristine stat line was nothing new for Hayes. In the 2025 preseason, Hayes was similarly impressive, allowing zero pressures, zero hits, and one hurry on 69 pass-blocking snaps. He earned a 78.8 overall grade, a 79.0 run-blocking grade, and an 88.7 pass-blocking grade across 127 offensive snaps. While he did have three penalties, Hayes cleaned that up this year.

The Jets will likely still scour the waiver wire for help at this position, especially given Cooper’s injury. A few strong preseason games aren’t enough to prove that Hayes is a quality backup guard. New York must try to find at least one more player with reliable regular-season experience.

But if the Jets cannot find any outside additions they like, Hayes has a chance to go into Week 1 as the team’s next man up at guard.