The New York Jets after an abysmal 3-14 year 1 with rookie head coach Aaron Glenn are expected to once again be one of the worst teams in the NFL during this upcoming 2026 season. However, I think they can certainly surprise someone and perhaps could even contend for the postseason. Head coach Aaron Glenn was very qualified for the job and rookie struggles are certainly understandable. If Glenn can prove to be the right hire headed into year 2 on the job in New York and prove to be a defensive mastermind level head coach in the mold of DeMeco Ryans or Mike MacDonald, then the Jets will have one of the premier head coaches in the sport. As the defensive mastermind head coach is the ideal type of head coach to be had in the modern NFL in my estimation. The Jets have also onboarded former Seahawks’ starting QB Geno Smith who although he had an atrocious 2025 season, was still a high-level borderline MVP caliber starter during his peak. To help Smith come into his own the Jets have also brought on former Super Bowl winning offensive coordinator Frank Reich. Reich is renown for being the offensive coordinator of an Eagles’ team that put up over 70 combined points in the Conference Championship and Super Bowl vs two top five scoring defenses in route to winning the Super Bowl despite being on an unproven backup QB. Outside of the new QB, the new coordinators, and Glenn going into year 2 on the job, the remaining roster that the Jets have will also loom quite large. Here I will go into detail assessing the offensive line personnel of the Jets heading into the 2026 season.
Set to start at left tackle for the Jets is 2024 1st rounder Olu Fashanu who has had an up and down career thus far in the NFL and has yet to come into his own. Fashanu struggled as a rookie in about 500 or so snaps but showed proficiency in terms of pass protection in year 1 in the NFL although struggling as a run blocker. But as a rookie, Fashanu graded in the below average range among players at his position in terms of an overall offense grade according to Pro Football Focus. Fashanu’s rookie struggles were indeed understandable, and he was expected to break out as a star in year 2 in the NFL and although he did show some improvement, he was still pretty average in year 2. Fashanu has only put together one full season of snaps and had mostly horrendous offensive coaching last season in year 1 of the Aaron Glenn era. Perhaps Fashanu can come into his own in year 3 in the NFL, taking starter snaps for the second time, while now having potentially at least solid offensive coaching as well.
Slated to start at left guard for the Jets is former third round pick Dylan Parham who is a solid to a very good starter at left guard for New York. Parham has graded in the above average to well above average range in terms of an overall offense grade among his peers in every single season he has played in the NFL. Parham has been inconsistent as a pass protector, although having a high ceiling as a pass protector, while he is known for being a stout run blocker.
Former 2nd rounder Josh Myers is set to start at center for the Jets and is the current weak link on the Jets’ offensive front as of now. Despite being drafted very highly, Myers has consistently disappointed in the NFL although he has shown some promise. In every single season that Myers has logged snaps, he has graded in the below average to well below average range in terms of an overall offense grade among his peers. However, in year 2 in the NFL, Myers ranked as one of the best pass protectors at his position, taking over 1000 snaps.
2023 2nd rounder Joe Tippmann is set to start at right guard for the Jets and is among the better interior offensive lineman in the sport today. Tippmann struggled as a rookie but then has played very well for the past two seasons since. Tippmann played the 2023 and 2024 seasons primarily at center, he was pretty average in 2023, but then during the 2024 season he graded as one of the top ten centers in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. But then during the 2025 season, Tippman played primarily at guard for the first time and played well although there was a slight drop off in his production. He ranked in the slightly above average range in terms of an overall offense grade among players at his position during the 2024 season. Perhaps Tippmann can take the next step during the 2025 season and become a borderline elite caliber player heading into his second year playing primarily at guard, just like he took that next step going into year 2 playing center.
2025 1st rounder Armand Membou is set to start at left tackle and is coming off a very strong rookie season. Membou was taken very highly, seventh overall by the Jets before the 2025 season and was expected to be a star entering the NFL. Membou played very well as a rookie, grading in nearly the top third among players at his position in terms of an overall offense grade among players at his position according to Pro Football Focus. Given his very high draft selection and very strong rookie year, Membou is in line to become a star in the NFL going forward for the Jets.
From a depth standpoint on the offensive line the Jets lack the presence of high-level backups and will likely need to stay healthier up front and/or see some unproven players emerge. The only noteworthy backup for the Jets on the offensive front is former 3rd rounder Chukwuma Okorafor. Okorafor is known for being a very strong pass protector although struggling as a run blocker, Okorafor has ranked in the above average to borderline elite range among his peers in terms of pass protection in the last four seasons he has played meaningful snaps. However, Okorafor has consistently struggled as a run blocker, but during the last season he played meaningful snaps, he graded in the above average range in that department for the first time. However, Okorafor has played a combined 12 snaps over the past two seasons and might be rusty. Outside of Okorafor at tackle, the Jets do not have a proven commodity in their reserve offensive line unit as of now.
Overall, the Jets could have a very good if not an elite offensive line during this upcoming 2026 season. They have two former first round tackles slated to start for them, both of whom are entering their prime, while both have shown potential in the NFL, especially Membou at left tackle. The Jets have one of the better starting guard tandems in the sport and although starting center Josh Myers is a weak link as of now, he was still drafted highly and has shown some promise in the NFL. The Jets lack depth on the offensive line as of now although tackle Chukwuma Okorafor is potentially one of the premier reserve offensive lineman in the sport today. If the young starting tackles come into their own, if center Josh Myers is not too much of a liability, and if the unit can stay relatively healthy and/or see some unproven backups emerge, then the Jets could have elite level offensive line play during the 2026 season.
