It was an up-and-down season for the Jets offensive line in 2024, yet even with some injury instability at tackle, the line in general and the interior OL in particular was sturdier than the year before.
And a lot of the credit for that goes to LG John Simpson.
"I feel like I've come a long way," Simpson told newyorkjets.com's Caroline Hendershot after the season finale against Miami. "When I started out here, I didn't really know where I fit and where I belonged. I kind of found my way and it paid off. I feel it's only going to get better, so I'm excited."
Simpson was the relative youth. at 27 years old and entering his fifth NFL season, in the Jets' unrestricted free ageny project to overhaul their line almost a year ago. Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses were the thirtysomething, 10-seasons-plus veteran tackles, and at the start of the season those tackles plus Simpson, C Joe Tippmann and RG Alijah Vera-Tucker looked to be a promising unit.
"I think the biggest thing was all the guys were willing to help you out," Simpson said of the group's greatest traits. "Nobody acted like they were too big, and we all banded together. Ultimately, I feel like that helped us as a unit to just play together and have fun out there."
Some NFL rankings suggest the fun was limited, but in general the rankings were up over '23, especially in yards/play (from 31st to 20th) and in sacks allowed/pass attempt (from 29th to 13th).
The 6-4, 330-pounder, by one measure, allowed 4.5 sacks, most on the line but not a glaring amount. And he was flagged for only two holds (one was offset), the fewest among the Jets' top six linemen in terms of playing time.
Pro Football Focus also liked what it saw in Simpson's play. His career-high 77.3 grade ranked No. 11 among NFL guards and was 21 points higher than his previous personal best. And he allowed 11 hurries by PFF's count, seventh-best among guards.
He liked the improvement he made in pass protection but said his run-blocking also has gotten better. "I just feel like I'm more of a complete player," he said. "I've still got a ways to go but I've been taking strides in the right direction and hopefully it continues."
One more strong element of Simpson's game was his availability. With 1,019 offensive snaps, he joined Tippmann (1,066) as the only Jets O-linemen this season to clear 1,000 offensive reps. And he continues the stability at LG, the only position at which the Jets have had four consecutive 1,000-snap starters, including then-rookie Vera-Tucker in '21 and Laken Tomlinson in 2022-23.
Simpson said he enjoyed playing later in the season between two Jets even younger than him in second-year man Tippmann and Fashanu when he replaced the injured Smith for five starts in the season's second half — "They're both very purposeful about how they study the game. It kind of felt like I was out there with two vets." And he liked his own progression, but as he said earlier, he's not a finished product.
"I think my biggest thing right now is working on being more consistent," he said. "Trying to be dominant every single snap, not just here and there, trying to win every rep and be as good as I can be for my team. That's really it for me."
