The New York Jets offensive line took a big hit during the rout of the New England Patriots.
Starting offensive tackle Morgan Moses went down with 17 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Aaron Rodgers got sacked and was thrown into the back of Moses’ leg.
After the game NFL Insider Jordan Schultz said Moses suffered a “knee injury” that will sideline him “for at least a couple of weeks.”
“He is unlikely to need surgery, which would be the best-case scenario considering how it initially appeared. He’s undergoing further tests to confirm, but the team is optimistic that the injury is not as severe as it seemed,” Schultz revealed.
Source: #Jets RT Morgan Moses suffered a knee injury last night that will likely sideline him for at least a couple of weeks. He is unlikely to need surgery, which would be the best-case scenario considering how it initially appeared. He’s undergoing further tests to confirm, but… pic.twitter.com/btxKE9VPyi
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 20, 2024
Jets Lose High Floor Player in Moses
Moses, 33, has been a stalwart at the offensive tackle position since entering the league in 2014 as the No. 66 overall pick in the third round.
During his 11 seasons in the league, Moses has appeared in 155 games and has made 147 starts.
From 2015 through 2022, Moses had appeared in 130 straight games. Moses was an NFL ironman who either rarely got hurt or always played through injuries.
However last season his ironman streak came to a crashing halt after he suffered a torn pec while with the Baltimore Ravens. Moses was forced to miss three games, but it could have been more if he hadn’t decided to play through it.
This offseason he got surgery on the pec and was limited throughout the spring and training camp. Now he is dealing with a new injury that’ll leave him sidelined for the foreseeable future.
This could be father time keeping his undefeated streak alive or perhaps just a bad string of injuries and misfortune for the longtime veteran.
Jets Were Prepared for This Exact Scenario This Offseason
With the No. 11 overall pick in the first round of April’s draft, the Jets selected Olu Fashanu out of Penn State.
The Jets caught some heat on social media from fans and analysts for selecting a player who didn’t have a clear path to playing time. That was the second consecutive season in which this occurred after taking pass rusher Will McDonald with the No. 15 overall pick in 2023.
However, that pick is looking a lot better in the middle of the season. With Moses out for a handful of weeks, the Jets can turn to a first-round draft selection to fill in during the meantime.
Before the season ESPN’s Mike Greenberg told me on “Boy Green Daily” that Fashanu is the best “non-starter” in the NFL.
“As a backup swing tackle? He is the best in the entire league,” Greeny told me. “Look I’m old enough to remember when Olu Fashanu was going to be one of the top two or three picks in that draft. The pre-draft process goes on and people do this or that or the other.”
.@Espngreeny emphatically told me that ‘no non starter in the #NFL is better than #Jets rookie OL Olu Fashanu. 👀
‘As a backup swing tackle? He is the best in the entire league.’
‘I’m old enough to remember when Olu Fashanu was going to be one of the top 2 or 3 picks in that… pic.twitter.com/ylMICo9Yt8
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) September 8, 2024
Many would argue the Jets season ended when Rodgers’ Achilles ruptured. However, you could make a strong argument that it ended because of the offensive line. They didn’t live up to the hype, there was a constant shuffling of personnel, and the foundation of the house caved in.
After seeing how the 2023 campaign imploded, Douglas refused to let the 2024 season meet the same fate. The Fashanu pick was always the smarter play even if it didn’t win the same headlines initially.
Now the Jets can not only survive the Moses injury, but they can thrive with Fashanu in the starting lineup.
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