Alijah Vera-Tucker is someone the New York Jets view as a foundation piece along the offensive line, and his versatility could be handy this season. While the Jets want Vera-Tucker to remain at guard, Robert Saleh isn’t ruling out the possibility of him playing some tackle in 2023.
Buy Jets TicketsRobert Saleh said the goal is to keep Alijah Vera-Tucker at guard but they just want to play their best five offensive linemen so if that meant at some point playing him at tackle again, they’d consider it. #Jets
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) August 10, 2023
The Jets took Vera-Tucker in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft out of USC due to his production at the guard position. But in his first two seasons with the Jets, Vera-Tucker has taken snaps at guard and tackle because of injuries.
Vera-Tucker has proven that he’s capable of playing offensive tackle and Saleh has made it clear that New York will deploy the best five offensive linemen in Week 1. Billy Turner and Max Mitchell are currently listed as the starters at tackle, with Mekhi Becton and Duane Brown also expected to be in the mix.
There has been some frustration from Aaron Rodgers and the offense throughout training camp on pass protection, which goes to show the team isn’t fully content with how things are going at the tackle spots. Vera-Tucker is a stalwart in the interior, but the Jets could ask him to slide out to tackle this season if they aren’t confident with the other tackles on the roster.
