Behind the Steel Curtain
The Jets have received some bad news ahead of their season-opening matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Per multiple reports, New York’s starting right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker is out for the season following a recent tricep injury.
While he is still waiting on a second opinion to confirm the severity of the injury, he’s all but guaranteed to miss the Steelers game.
Vera-Tucker was the 14th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has 43 career starts, mostly at guard. The 2025 season is a contract year for him as the Jets picked up his fifth-year option. Vera-Tucker has struggled with injuries over his NFL career.
Who will replace him versus the Steelers? From SB Nation’s Gang Green Nation:
If you are searching for some sort of silver lining it’s that interior offensive line is one of the few spots on the field where the Jets have the depth on paper to absorb an injury. Projected top backup Josh Myers has 56 games of starting experience at center. The hypothetical position battle between Myers and Joe Tippmann will likely be rendered moot as Tippmann will slide over to right guard replacing Vera-Tucker.
The Steelers don’t have any starters injured as severely as Vera-Tucker, but Pittsburgh will be without rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon against the Jets and rotational pass rusher Nick Herbig is listed as questionable.
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