The New York Jets’ offense is returning to full strength.
After Adonai Mitchell returned last week, offensive lineman Dylan Parham will return to the Jets’ lineup today against his former team, the Las Vegas Raiders, after missing the last four games with a knee injury.
Prior to going down, Parham was not only the Jets’ best offensive lineman, but he was also playing at an elite level. He leads 75 qualified guards in Pro Football Focus‘ overall grade (88.7), ranking ninth in pass protection (75.9), and first in run-blocking (90.4).
Getting him back will be huge for the Jets’ interior offensive line, which has struggled over the past few weeks. Parham’s replacement, Jordan Meredith, hasn’t provided a reliable presence. On 150 pass-blocking snaps, Meredith allowed 13 pressures and three sacks since entering midway through Week 3, when Parham went down.
While Breece Hall remains out with a quad injury, Parham’s presence should provide a strong boost for the Jets’ offense in both run and pass blocking. With his return, today will be the first game since Week 3 in which the Jets have had all five of their starting offensive linemen on the field together.
At 2-5, a win over the Raiders today is crucial for the Jets to even keep their fans engaged. Falling to 2-6 would be brutal. If the Jets win in a convincing fashion, though, it will at least leave folks intrigued to see how they fare against two tough opponents over the next two weeks: the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.
Today’s matchup kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.
