In Greek mythology, Achilles was a great warrior hero who fought in the Trojan War. He was said to be invulnerable except for a small spot on his ankle. This was his Achilles Heel which would cause his downfall.

In the story of the 2023 New York Jets, the Achilles heel means something different. It means their offensive line.

In their first chance to go against actual competition this week, the first team offense lead by Aaron Rodgers looked extremely pedestrian. 

The New York Jets are holding joint practices this week against the Carolina Panthers prior to the first preseason game on Saturday. Because the Jets didn’t play any of their starters in the Hall of Fame Game against the Cleveland Browns, this was the first real test for the Jets.

And they failed. The main culprit to their failures? The offensive line.

Thank goodness for the Jets sake that quarterbacks can’t be touched in practice, because Rodgers would have been sacked at least twice, and perhaps a few other times.

In a two-minute drill to end practice, the Jets’ offense went three-and-out.

“I sensed frustration from everybody, everybody on the O-line, the coaches, Aaron. You can’t go three-and-out in a two-minute drive like that,” center Connor McGovern said. “I think there was disappointment from the whole team.”

Rodgers didn’t hold back on his critiques either, especially in regard to the tackle position. “I thought we maybe didn’t have the same type of energy, for whatever reason, at the start of practice,” Rodgers said, “but I thought there were some good things, a lot of learning tape out there. We got to figure out who the first five is going to be. So, a lot of guys in competition right now. It seems like they’re switching the tackles left and right, just about daily with Max and Billy, just looking for consistency with those guys.”

The Jets have roughly four weeks before they open the season on Monday Night Football against the division rival Buffalo Bills, and as exciting as this team is to watch on Hard Knocks or project out into the playoffs, the fact is they need to be a little more steak and a little less sizzle.

What I mean by that is simple, they have to get their offensive line to play at least average in order for this team to have a fighting chance against a stacked AFC.

Duane Brown will certainly add some stability at the left tackle position, but he is 37-years-old and coming off a major shoulder injury. Mekhi Becton is as reliable as that low budget airline ticket in a thunderstorm. Max Mitchell is still learning, and Billy Turner is more of a journeyman swing tackle.

The expectations for the Jets are still sky high, but the offensive line is not something that can be fixed quickly. The clock is ticking for the Jets to get it fixed and live up to the expectations the fans and the team has for this season.

Jets are struggling with their offensive tackles

The Jets have a big problem. I’m not talking about “what to do with the fourth safety spot” or a “who is going to be their emergency long snapper” type big problem. I’m talking about a big problem. Like 6 foot 7 inches, 360 plus pounds big. What are the Jets going to do with […]

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