What the Newly Elected Captains’ Injury Means for the New York Jets
The New York Jets had finally completed their offensive line. The team filled the final hole in that part of the roster with the selection of right tackle Armand Membou at pick seven in the 2025 NFL draft. Justin Fields would finally have a legitimate starting five in front of him and have a real shot to develop as a pocket passer. Then, less than a week before the season opener, disaster struck.
Newly-elected team captain Alijah Vera-Tucker was reported on Wednesday to have suffered a serious arm injury, which was later revealed to be a torn tricep. AVT was no stranger to this kind of injury- it ended his 2022 season as well against the Denver Broncos. It was a huge blow to the team then, and it’s a huge blow now. Following this injury, the Jets are in a major pickle.
Due to this incredibly unfortunate situation, the Jets now have to move around pieces all over the interior of their trenches. According to reports, the team will move center Joe Tippmann to guard to replace Vera-Tucker and will slot newly-signed free agent Josh Myers into center. Tippmann has played guard in the past due to injuries, making three starts in 2023. Myers was the starting center for the Green Bay Packers for four years, putting up some serviceable play, but he was a backup for a reason. Tippmann was the better center over the past couple of years, and won the starting job against Myers in a well-documented camp battle. It goes without saying that the Jets would rather he be starting at center.
An underappreciated hardship that this injury causes is the damage to the chemistry along the offensive line. The offensive line is arguably the most chemistry-dependent position group on the field. It often takes a few games into the season for some lines to truly gel and play at their best together. With the injury to Vera-Tucker and players along the line being shifted around, it completely messes up a lot of the chemistry that the players spent building all offseason. Because of this, it may be even longer before we see the Jets’ offensive line playing at their best until much later into the season. It’s a less talked-about issue of the injury, but something that deserves to be mentioned.
