NFL training camp starts towards the end of July, which means players around the league are getting their last bits of offseason work in before the real work of trying to make the roster begins.
For certain players, this season is what some may call “make or break,” meaning they need to put together a productive year or they could be looking for employment elsewhere at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
We’ll highlight those players for the Jets, beginning with guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
2023 Stats
– Five games (all starts)
– Two sacks allowed
– One penalty
Why Make or Break?
The Jets opted to exercise Vera-Tucker’s fifth-year option, so he should be under contract for 2025 no matter what. However, a good season in 2024 could propel him to a big-money contract extension, which could be among the biggest ever given to an offensive lineman.
Vera-Tucker’s game is widely respected in league circles, but he’ll need to prove he can be relied upon to stay on the field after suffering season-ending injuries in each of the last two seasons.
Head coach Robert Saleh has said that Vera-Tucker will remain at right guard all season long, rather than moving around to fill in for injured teammates as he has in recent years. While it’s not certain that having to do this had anything to do with his injuries, it may have impacted his effectiveness, slowed his progress and prevented him from developing chemistry with his teammates.
What will break it?
This year, Vera-Tucker cannot afford to get hurt again, otherwise, the Jets might have to start planning for a future without him. The hope is that he’ll be healthy in time for training camp, but the Jets will no doubt be cautious.
One positive factor is that at least the two injuries (an Achilles tear and a biceps tear) are not linked. In addition, Vera-Tucker started 16 games as a rookie and didn’t miss any time in college, so it would be premature to label him as injury-prone or particularly susceptible to a certain kind of injury. He’s just been unlucky these past two years and, hopefully, that will reverse in 2024.
Returning from an Achilles tear is no easy task, but at least Vera-Tucker is a player who primarily relies on smarts and technique to succeed, so hopefully he can still play at a high level.
The good news is that at least the Jets don’t play in Denver — where each of his season-ending injuries happened — this time around.
What will make it?
Vera-Tucker’s premature exit the last two seasons makes it difficult to remember how impressively he performed when he was in the lineup — and the line as a group has typically been much better when he’s been in there as well. He’s a difference maker as a run blocker and as reliable as they come in pass protection.
The fact that he achieved this while often having to play at tackle rather than his natural guard position is a testament to Vera-Tucker’s talent and versatility, but this season will be about maximizing his impact. Hopefully, the upgrades made elsewhere on the line will facilitate this, too.
The Jets have long believed that a healthy Vera-Tucker can be one of the league’s best offensive linemen and have every intention of rewarding him with a contract that reflects this. However, this isn’t going to happen until he can prove the injury issues of the past two years are behind him.
Read the full article here
