For the first two weeks of the 2026 season, the New York Jets’ offensive line looked like the kind of unit fans had been waiting for: sturdy, dependable, and suddenly one of the better groups in football. Four games in, the picture is more complicated.
The numbers still point to an above-average line. Pro Football Focus has the Jets 13th in pass-blocking grade at 65.3 and 13th in run-blocking at 66.3.
That’s not a bad place to live. Plenty of teams would take that in a heartbeat before Week 1.
But the tape and the situation tell a messier story.
The biggest concern has shown up when the game tightens. In Weeks 2 and 3, during two one-score losses, Geno Smith was sacked five times in the fourth quarter and overtime. That’s the kind of breakdown that wipes out whatever good work came before it.
The run game has been uneven too. The Jets opened the year with a strong showing against the Tennessee Titans in that area, and they were better again on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
But the middle two weeks were rough enough that it’s hard to call the group consistently solid. New York is sitting 30th in yards per rush attempt at 3.4, and the blocking deserves a big share of the blame.
The backfield numbers make that clear. In Weeks 2 and 3, Braelon Allen and Breece Hall combined for only 20 yards before contact on 38 carries, which works out to about 0.5 yards before contact per attempt.
In Week 1, they had 65 yards before contact on 32 carries, or 2.2 per attempt. That’s a huge swing.
Not all of that falls on the offensive line. Tight ends Kenyon Sadiq and Jelani Woods have both struggled as run blockers, and that matters.
Still, the line had its own problems, especially from Armand Membou. Over that two-game stretch, he posted a 45.0 run-blocking grade from PFF.
He turned it around in Chicago, though, jumping to 92.7 and leading all 191 offensive linemen to play a snap in Week 4.
Pass protection was a different kind of roller coaster. Against Detroit, the Jets were overwhelmed.
Olu Fashanu was charged with six pressures allowed, including three sacks. Jordan Meredith, filling in for the injured Dylan Parham, gave up five pressures and two sacks on 28 pass-blocking snaps.
Josh Myers allowed four pressures and a sack as well. That was a rough day all the way around.
Against the Bears, the line was better. Geno Smith’s 18 dropbacks produced two sacks and five total pressures from the offensive line, which was manageable even if it wasn’t clean. The bigger issue was that the offense couldn’t keep anything going, and Smith wasn’t sharp enough either, finishing with a 53.3% completion rate.
The pressure numbers also need a closer look. Even though the Jets’ linemen were only charged with five pressures, Smith was pressured on nine of his 18 dropbacks, a 50% rate.
Four of those nine pressures weren’t blamed on the offensive line, with the ball taking too long to come out or receivers failing to separate. Smith also tied his season high with an average of 3.12 seconds to throw.
So the truth sits somewhere in the middle. The Jets’ line has shown more good than bad snap to snap, but the clutch-pass-protection lapses are real, and the run game hasn’t been nearly as consistent as the overall grades suggest. It’s also worth remembering that Parham was out for most of Week 3 and all of Week 4, even though he had arguably been the team’s best piece up front this season.
Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns should give the group another telling test after the Jets’ first real beatdown. The losses in Weeks 2 and 3 were ugly enough. Sunday was something different entirely.
In Other News...
Jets May Finally Get WR Help But One Question Still Looms
The Jets receiver room may be getting a little healthier soon, which comes as welcome news for an offense that has had to navigate injuries to key pass-catchers. Tim Patrick has now completed the required four-game absence and is eligible to return to practice, giving the team at least a chance to add some experienced help back into the mix after a stretch of uncertainty.
Omar Cooper Jr. is still a longer wait, since he remains on injured reserve and has to sit out at least one more game before his practice window can open. So while the roster picture is beginning to brighten at receiver, the bigger question for the Jets is how quickly that help can actually show up on the field, and whether Patrick will be ready to contribute right away once he ramps up. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Opponent Suddenly Has A Quarterback Issue To Sort Out
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Gabriels return is the more interesting subplot for Jets watchers because it forces Cleveland to sort out where he fits behind Deshaun Watson and backup Shedeur Sanders. Even before the Browns make a decision, the move hints at more quarterback evaluation work ahead, and any shuffle there is the kind of thing opponents keep an eye on as they prepare for a game plan. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Fans Just Got An Uncomfortable New QB Option
The Jets quarterback picture already has a few moving parts, and now another one has been dropped into the mix. NFL analyst Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently floated New York as a possible trade destination for San Francisco backup Mac Jones, putting a concrete price on the idea with a conditional 2027 second-round pick.
Jones has already bounced from the Patriots to the Jaguars to the 49ers, and he is currently sitting behind Brock Purdy in San Francisco. For the Jets, it is another reminder that the search for insulation behind Geno Smith is not necessarily finished, even with rookie Cade Klubnik in the building after being drafted in 2026 and getting preseason reps. [Read more 🡒]