Alijah Vera-Tucker could wind up at tackle for Jets

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Robert Saleh said on Thursday the Jets have “some cards in our back pocket that we can use” to help improve their offensive line. Perhaps, in particular, it’s a wild card.

Although Alijah Vera-Tucker has worked exclusively at right guard throughout this training camp, he has experience playing tackle and said he spent time this offseason working on his drops and sets from that position. If the players the Jets are currently grooming for their tackle spots do not improve — Billy Turner and Max Mitchell have been rotating sides with the starters, Mekhi Becton’s workload has been limited coming off a knee injury, and Duane Brown remains on PUP — Vera-Tucker could find himself shifting toward the outside of the line.

“We’re going to play our best five and if that’s how one of them shake up, that’s something we’re going to have to talk about,” Saleh said. “AVT is a very special football player… We want to keep him at guard as best we can, because we think he’s an All-Pro guard, but he would still be an unbelievable tackle, probably a Pro Bowl tackle. We know that he will be his absolute best on the inside, but his versatility is obviously very beneficial.”

Vera-Tucker has played every O-line position but center in his short Jets career. He started 16 games at left guard as a rookie in 2021 and began last season at right guard. Then, due to injuries, he started at left tackle in Week 4 followed by a move to right tackle before his own season ended with a triceps injury in Week 7.

Vera-Tucker said he would do whatever the team asked of him. “Things can change in a heartbeat,” he said of his uniquely fluid place in the lineup. He said it would “definitely help to have time” to prepare for a potential move to tackle with some practice reps but believes he could play the position “at a high level” in an emergency.

He meant an in-game injury to someone, but there are other kinds of emergencies, too, and the Jets are creeping toward one. With one month until their regular-season opener, Wednesday’s joint practice with the Panthers was an eye-opener for the organization regarding the state of their offensive line play. Aaron Rodgers was under near-constant pressure, and the offense was disjointed because of the lack of time for the plays to develop.

“My optimistic side will say we have time [to figure it out],” Saleh said on Thursday. “But as a coach, you want it done yesterday. We want these guys rolling, we want confidence, we want to start humming… There’s a learning curve, so that part of it I have empathy for, and understanding that it is going to take some time for them. But yeah, I’m a coach, I always want it yesterday.”

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.