For the past two years, having Aliyah Vera-Tucker leave a game mid-game with an injury has also meant the end of the season.
First up was ACL.
Next, Achilles.
Both gutted the Jets' offensive line, forcing them to adjust without the former first-round pick.
And when combined with other absences, the adjustment usually ends up being far from seamless.
For the past two weeks, the sector has teetered on the edge of falling back into a downward spiral.
Gang Green right guard Vera Tucker missed time with a high ankle sprain.
Left guard John Simpson (groin) is out with an injury.
So did reserve guard Jake Hanson (hamstring).
Jets first-round pick Olu Fashanu was supposed to sit and watch and learn during his rookie season before taking over as his future left tackle, but he ended up playing right guard against the Texans on Halloween. , the position was one he didn't have. I've never even practiced before.
This was the 2024 version of the Jets scrambling and combining combinations on the fly.
As the situation settles into place, it sets the stage for recent developments fraught with uncertainty.
But the sabbatical after the win on “Thursday Night Football” proved beneficial. Vera Tucker, Simpson and Morgan Moses were all full participants in Friday's practice, and head coach Jeff Ulbrich expected the entire trio to play against the Cardinals.
So for the first time since Week 7 and just the sixth time this season, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be protected by top linemen — after scoring 21 points in the second half against Houston. The offense is already in full swing. win.
“That's huge,” Ulbrich said after Friday's practice. “All five offensive linemen, as well as Aaron, are feeling the best they've been in a while from a mobility standpoint, and we're very excited about both of them.”
At the very least, the Jets' offensive line will have some continuity.
This week, Rodgers, a self-proclaimed “Jackrabbit” for his energy, will begin his best drive of the season.
Garrett Wilson, who leads the NFL with 94 targets, will be paired with Davante Adams, whose eight-year chemistry with Rodgers in Green Bay started to pay off against the Texans.
Ultimately, everything is clicking for Gang Green.
A major part of that revolves around the offensive line, which went through 13 different combinations last season. Some linemen were moved to other positions.
Other players missed time, including Vera Tucker and a torn Achilles tendon.
The Jets' season took a big hit when Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in Week 1, but the constant turmoil on the offensive line and three backup quarterbacks didn't help either.
In 2023, he allowed the fourth-most sacks.
But of the 13 linemen who saw snaps last year, only six returned in 2024, with only two starting in Week 1: Vera Tucker and center Joe Tippman. It was.
The Jets brought in a veteran trio of Simpson, Moses, and Tyron Smith to protect Aaron Rodgers, but Smith suffered personal struggles, with Moses suffering a Grade 2 MCL tear, a small fracture in his knee, and a torn meniscus. He played through it. After missing just two games, Rodgers has only been sacked 20 times.
Fashanu allowed just two pressures in the first 37 snaps of his career as a right guard and also survived an injury turmoil against the Texans.
Even though the Jets have improved up front this week, Ulbrich said Fashanu practiced repeatedly at both tackle and guard after cross-training at both tackle spots in training camp.
“The fact that he can play both gives us a lot of flexibility,” Ulbrich said. “Like when you find a player like that, a Swiss Army knife, that's invaluable because injuries are part of this deal, especially at the line of scrimmage.”
So the Jets have options if they need to. If they run into a dilemma like last Thursday's, they can still make adjustments and give Rodgers enough time to ignite the offense and come away with a win.
But there shouldn't be a need for a contingency scenario, at least not to start Sunday's game.
For Vera-Tucker and the rest of the Jets' offensive line, for the first time in a while, mid-season injuries didn't prevent them from reuniting their starting group.
“It was tough,” Ulbrich said of Vera Tucker's two season-ending injuries. “He's a mentally strong guy, a tough guy to put down. He's been through a lot, and the fact that we were able to get him back for this game is huge for our offense.”
