With Aaron Rodgers returning from a brutal season-ending Achilles injury, the New York Jets needed to bring in the best help they could get in 2024. They began with the additions of former Ravens offensive linemen John Simpson and Morgan Moses.
Fourth-year guard and former first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker will also be returning from a season-ending Achilles injury and the Jets also drafted Olu Fashanu with their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, Joe Douglas made an even bigger splash and one of the most important signings of the offseason. He signed eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro offensive tackle Tyron Smith, formerly of the Cowboys. Smith signed a one-year deal worth up to $20 million with the Jets in March.
The addition of Smith gives the Jets a lot of help at the left tackle position. He brings more veteran leadership to the offensive line, gives Rodgers some much-needed peace of mind and will help teach the left tackle of the future in Fashanu.
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"I know Olu [Fashanu] is soaking up all the information he can get from him, which is awesome," Saleh said.
Jets offensive line coach Keith Carter is also ecstatic about adding Smith because of his leadership and experience.
"Just how hard he works for somebody who's been doing it at his level for so long is invaluable," Carter said "And then you take these young tackles we have and he can teach them things I can't, honestly. It is an unbelievable opportunity for those young tackles to learn from him."
Tyron Smith brings top-10 play to Jets at LT
Smith, is ranked seventh in Pro Football Focus' top-32 offensive tackles for 2024, and for good reason. He started and finished 13 games and played 942 snaps for the Cowboys this past season, not including the playoff game. Smith was PFFs highest-graded pass-blocking tackle in 2023 with a grade of 89.3.
Smith earned himself a spot on the NFL's Second-team All-Pro in 2023 but most importantly, he finished the season.
He's dealt with many injuries throughout his time in Dallas. The former first-round pick has missed 37 games over the past four seasons alone due to injuries. Over the past three years, Smith has started in 30 regular-season games and has played in 9 playoff games.
When Smith is on the field he is one of the best left tackles in the NFL. After protecting Dak Prescott's blindside, he knows how to protect an elite quarterback. Now, he'll do the same for Rodgers.
The Jets four-time MVP quarterback has also been an admirer of smith from the opposite sideline. Rodgers even called Smith a "Hall-of-Fame player."
"I’ve been a fan of his a long time, he's a Hall-of-Fame player," Rodgers said. "He’s specimen. He’s a big strong man, not a fat man either."
Smith, meanwhile, sees the Jets as one of the most competitive teams in the NFL and one primed for a surge in 2024.
"I feel like we can be a dominant offense as long as everybody's on the same page," Smith said. "And I feel like we're getting to that point."