Joe Douglas' top priority last offseason was fixing the offensive line.
Last year, he started up front in 13 different combinations, but if that didn't happen, none of it mattered.
“I think that was the first goal,” the Jets general manager said in the spring.
Underperformance and injuries have stunted the offensive line for years, but the early production has been good, even with starting right tackle Morgan Moses expected to miss several weeks with an MCL sprain and bone bruise.
There are plenty of positives to take from the Jets' 2-1 start so far, from the play of Aaron Rodgers to defensive end Will McDonald to the surprising contributions of rookie running back Braylon Allen and receiver Allen Lazard, but the offensive line may be the most significant development.
Rodgers has been sacked just five times through three games.
Last year, the Jets' quarterback was sacked a whopping 64 times, tied with the Titans for fourth-most in the league.
They are averaging 100.6 rushing yards per game and 4.0 yards per carry, despite a shaky performance on the ground in the season opener against the 49ers' powerful front seven.
It's an almost entirely new group.
The Jets acquired Moses in a trade and signed left tackle Tyron Smith and left guard John Simpson.
The trio are joined by second-year center Joe Tippmann and right guard Aliyah Vera-Tucker, who played in just five games last year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon.
Douglas also used his first-round draft pick on Penn State star Olu Fashanu, who filled in for Moses against the Patriots and will likely start in his place for the time being.
Manager Robert Sale said Fashanu played well on debut despite playing limited minutes.
Tippmann was outstanding in the win over the Patriots, not allowing a single sack, hit or rush on 43 pass-blocking attempts. According to Pro Football Focus.
He received a career-high 85.8 grade in the lopsided win. In the Week 2 win over the Titans, it was Smith who was highly rated by PFF as the third-best offensive tackle.
“Tyrone's been great,” Saleh said, “he gets guys moving with the run game, and he's really good defensively.”
The Jets allowed just one quarterback pressure and one sack against the Titans, and Tennessee has the makings of a strong defense.
His run-blocking was especially impressive against the Patriots, as he gained 133 yards on 33 carries and allowed the Jets to dominate time of possession at an incredible rate.
They held the ball for 40 minutes, 4 seconds in their home opener Thursday night at MetLife Stadium.
It's obviously still early days and the group will be tested without Moses.
There are significant age and injury concerns with this group, especially at tackle.
Smith and Moses are both 33 years old, while Vera-Tucker has played in just 12 games over the past two seasons.
But so far so good.
At first, it seemed like the Jets' weaknesses that had existed for several years had become strengths.
It's no coincidence that the Jets' offense is in its best form in a while.
