After a 31-21 win vs. the Broncos in Week 5, the New York Jets are now 2-3. One of the weakest units on their roster this season is undoubtedly their offensive line. It’s been a problem since Week 1 and they’ve tried to fix it. However, injuries have also plagued them on the OL as well.
In their win on Sunday vs. Denver, the Jets lost their top lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker to a season-ending Achilles tear. The Jets were already thin on the offensive line and this makes it that much worse. This will be the second season in a row that Vera-Tucker will miss a majority of the season. He played seven games in 2022 and will have played only five in 2023. It’s clear the Jets need reinforcements to protect Zach Wilson.
Is there anyone the Jets can sign to help improve their offensive line after losing Alijah Vera-Tucker?
Jets officially placed OL Alijah Vera-Tucker on IR.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 11, 2023
Losing Alijah Vera-Tucker for the rest of the 2023 season was brutal for the Jets on offense. He was far and away their best OL and it will not be easy to replace his production. The Jets are already using a makeshift OL as injuries have piled up through five games. Duane Brown is on the IR and that moved Mekhi Becton to LT, leaving a vacancy at RT. New York has done what it can to move players around, but Vera-Tucker being done for the season is a massive loss.
However, the Jets have been proactive about getting some OL help in the building. It was reported that La’el Collins came in for a workout with the Jets. Collins was on the PUP to begin the season for the Bengals. He was then released in September to save the team $6 million in cap space. The 30-year-old has not been with a team since, but he’ll likely be signed soon, but the Jets are not the only team interested. General Manager Joe Schoen of the Giants is also interested in signing Collins. Offensive line depth has also been a problem for the Giants in 2023.
Robert Saleh confirms that Alijah Vera-Tucker is out for the season with a torn Achilles:
“To have this happen again, it’s unfortunate.” pic.twitter.com/rhvZYjVoAQ
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) October 9, 2023
Landing La’el Collins would be a huge addition for the Jets on their OL. He started all 15 games he played for the Bengals last season. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL in December. Since then, Collins has been healthy and has reportedly been cleared to play. We’ll have to wait and see how many workouts Collins gets before a team is ready to sign him.
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