Jets 2025 Position Breakdown: Will the offensive line improve after adding another young talent?

Heading into the 2025 season, the Jets have made a series of moves to improve the state of their roster and overall depth, but are they ready to compete for a playoff spot?

In this series, we'll break down the depth chart for every position group. This time, we'll go in-depth on the offensive line...

Projected depth chart

Starters: LT Olu Fashanu, LG John Simpson, C Joe Tippmann, RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, RT Armand Membou
Backups: Josh Myers, Chukwuma Okorafor, Xavier Newman, Max Mitchell, Carter Warren
Key additions/losses: Membou was drafted in the first round. Myers and Okorafor signed one-year deals in free agency. Morgan Moses departed via free agency and Tyron Smith retired
Top Performers in 2024: Vera-Tucker had 15 games started, four sacks allowed and five penalties
2024 ranking via PFF: Vera-Tucker was 9th and Simpson 17th among guards. Tippmann was 9th among centers

What the Jets' offensive line has going for them

The Jets have a solid interior trio, but the two guards are on expiring contracts. Bringing back these three gives the unit good continuity, with Fashanu also having started five games on the left-side with this group during his rookie year.

Drafting Fashanu and Membou in the first round in back-to-back years gives the Jets a pairing that theoretically has the potential to be one of the best young tackle duos in the NFL and could provide the Jets with bookend tackles for several seasons.

The Jets also added Myers and Okorafor in free agency to give themselves a couple of reserves with plenty of starting experience. There's some speculation that Myers will push Tippmann for the starting center job, but that seems unlikely.

Taking control of this unit will be new offensive line coach Steve Heiden, who was a tight end coach with the Lions but has been looking to take on a role as an offensive line coach for some time.

Key concern for 2025: Will Membou suffer growing pains during his rookie season?

Drafting Membou with the seventh overall pick addressed an obvious need, but scouts and analysts are divided on whether he's ready to step right into a starting role.

The hope is that he'll provide an upgrade in the running game, while also holding his own in pass protection, but there's sure to be a learning curve.

Jets fans have a tendency to be impatient with their first round rookies, so the pressure on Membou will intensify quickly if he gets off to an inconsistent start. The Jets would be wise to give him some support and try to limit how often they expose him to one-on-one matchups against the elite pass rushers.

New York Jets offensive tackle Olu Fashanu (74) blocks for quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium / Brad Penner - Imagn Images

Player who must step up in 2025: Fashanu

With the rookie Membou on the other side, the Jets are essentially banking on Fashanu to play like a veteran, despite being a full-time starter for the first time.

If he can, that will enable the Jets to scheme around Membou's inexperience, but if both tackles are a work in progress, this makes things more difficult.

Once Fashanu got a chance to start in his natural position on the left last season, he was very good. However, that was a sample size of only five games, so it may be premature to expect him to be able to hold his own if you leave him on an island against top pass rushers.

He also had five penalties in those five games, so he needs to play with better on-field discipline.

Biggest camp battle: Okorafor vs. Mitchell vs. Warren

The starting five appears to be locked in barring an injury, but the swing tackle role is up for grabs. There appear to be three candidates for this role, but there may not be room on the roster for all three.

The 27-year old Okorafor is a former third-round pick who started 59 times with the Steelers between 2018 and 2023. However, he saw himself benched during his first game with the Patriots in 2024, and after not seeing the field again he contemplated retirement.

If Okorafor doesn't win the role, it may come down to Mitchell and Warren again.

Both are recent mid-round picks who have started 20 games between them over the past few years, but they've struggled when called upon. Warren is the more athletic of the two, but Mitchell's football IQ has been praised by coaches.

Mitchell was the more consistent performer last season, so he may have the inside track if Okorafor is unable to bounce back -- and his ability to also play guard should help his roster chances, too.

Overall 2025 outlook

On paper, this is a strong first unit, which the Jets may look to keep together for longer than just this year by extending Simpson and Vera-Tucker ahead of next season.

Ultimately, though, the most important factor in whether or not an offensive line lives up to its potential is usually health. Vera-Tucker in particular has missed plenty of time over the past couple of years, but the fact he managed to start 15 games last season is a good sign.

If the starting five can stay healthy for most of the season, enabling the Jets to gel quickly and build chemistry over the course of the season, they are likely to be successful.

However, if they have to keep chopping and changing, that will slow their progress -- especially since anyone coming off the bench is certain to provide a downgrade.