The New York Jets have been dealing with injuries right from the very start of this season, and on Sunday they were dealt another devastating one. Head coach Robert Saleh confirmed on Monday that offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the win over the Denver Broncos, and will miss the remainder of the season.
Vera-Tucker, New York's first-round pick in 2021, has now suffered a season-ending injury in each of the past two seasons after putting together a strong rookie campaign. He tore his ACL a little less than exactly a year ago and missed the remainder of the 2022 season following the injury.
Vera-Tucker had played both right guard (101 snaps) and right tackle (149 snaps) this season, and he did the same last year while also playing one game at left tackle. He is one of the league's most versatile offensive linemen, but his promising career has again hit a speed bump with a major injury.
The Jets, of course, already lost Aaron Rodgers to a torn Achilles just four plays into their 2023 season, and they previously put left tackle Duane Brown on injured reserve with a hip injury. In the absence of both linemen, New York will be down to backups at both tackle spots and at guard, as it has already swung Mekhi Becton from the right side to the left and kicked Vera-Tucker out from guard to tackle. Max Mitchell is likely to get the first shot at the right tackle job, while rookie Joe Tippman -- who lost the preseason center competition to veteran Connor McGovern -- remains at right guard.
The road blocks to success for the Jets offense just keep piling up, even after they put together their best offensive performance of the year against Denver.
