Zach Wilson’s protection wasn’t always on the up and up in 2021, but the rookie quarterback was still appreciative of the effort his offensive line put in to keep him clean throughout the course of the season.
Wilson thanked the Jets’ offensive line with a special gift on Friday — roundtrip plane tickets for anywhere they want to go. Wilson used his family ties to make the token of appreciation happen, as his uncle, David Neelan, is the founder of JetBlue.
Love and appreciate my guys. Thanks for protecting me all season long. Can’t wait to run it back next season. @nyjets @jetblue #partner pic.twitter.com/uWRT0gV1RS
— Zachary Wilson (@ZachWilson) January 14, 2022
New York’s offensive line had its occasional struggles this past season, but the unit performed relatively well considering it was without Mekhi Becton for all but three quarters. Alijah Vera-Tucker blossomed into a star at left guard as a rookie, while Connor McGovern flipped the script and played well after a rough first season with the Jets. The tackle duo of George Fant and Morgan Moses also stepped up and delivered after Becton went down with a dislocated kneecap in Week 1.
According to Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, New York had the 11th-best offensive line in the NFL in 2021.
The only real issue the Jets faced on their offensive line for a portion of the season was right guard play. Greg Van Roten struggled in the first half of the year and was eventually replaced by Laurent Duvernay-Tardif after he was acquired from the Chiefs at the trade deadline.
New York will look to upgrade its offensive line during free agency and the draft — Joe Douglas’ pursuit of help in the trenches is a never-ending one — in order to give Wilson the best protection possible. This season was a step in the right direction, though, and Wilson recognized that enough to give the big fellas in front of him a parting gift before returning home for the offseason.
