Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, one of team's 31 players who did not suit up against the Panthers Saturday night, couldn't help his excitement when asked about the potential of the offense this season.
"We try not to compare too many things, but you look at the way we practiced against Carolina last year," Rodgers said during an in-game interview with the CBS-TV broadcast team of Ian Eagle and Anthony Becht. "We didn't do great against their front compared to what happened a couple days ago in practice. Coming out of the practice field, felt really good about things.
"Obviously the line looks a little different, adding some veteran guys to it. I like the momentum we have up front, the way those guys are blocking. I love Joe [Tippmann] at center. He's been a really solid second-year player for us, but adding Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses really solidifies the edges. More than that, it brings those veteran presences into the room to help [OL coach] Keith [Carter]. The best rooms, the best teams are player led and you need those veteran voices to help those guys out because we have so many young guys who played last year."
The new-look line's priority is keeping the 40-yeard-old quarterback upright and is composed of three new pieces -- Smith, Moses and LG John Simpson, who signed with the Jets in March after starting 17 games for the Ravens in the 2023 season.
"You watch John practice, he's been probably the most surprising," Rodgers said. "Not being disrespectful to John, I didn't know a whole lot about him, but the way he's practiced and played has been phenomenal. So you feel good about the offensive line. We're coming together. It's tough in the joint practices because we don't do a whole lot in them. It's kind of like the preseason but feel good about the squad."
Tippmann and RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, who, like Rodgers, is returning from an Achilles tendon injury, are the returnees among the starters.
Another way to protect the QB is to establish the run. The Jets have a young do-it-all star at running back in Breece Hall to pair a young room that includes rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis.
"The league is very cyclical and I think the cycles right now, you're seeing more teams wanting to establish the run game because teams on defense have decided to play a lot more nickel packages and dime packages using safeties as linebackers," Rodgers said. "When you do that, you're kind of begging teams to run the football. So we have to run the football to be able to open up some of the stuff in the passing game, the play-action stuff. I like the way that we've done it. You look at our backs, you have to be excited about 0 [Allen] and 32 [Davis] the way they've played the preseason. Breece is such a different player this year."
The Jets have one preseason game remaining on the schedule (Aug. 24 against the Giants), which means there's one more chance fans will see Rodgers make his 2024 debut before the season opener at San Francisco in Week 1. HC Robert Saleh has not indicated if Rodgers, who played one series in the preseason finale last year, will suit up.
"You never know," Rodgers said. I feel like Saleh already ruled me out a few weeks go, but if I beg him, maybe I'll get to be out there."
He added: "I'm feeling good. I miss being out there. Training camp is tough, but the hardest part is not being able to play."
