Morgan Moses is 33 years old and a veteran of 10 NFL training camps and 152 games.
Even so, he admitted to some jitters before he took the field in team drills Friday, in the midst of his 11th camp, giving the Jets a complete offensive line for the first time this summer.
“Tyron [Smith] helped me out today a little bit,” Moses said after practice. “He looked at me and said, ‘Hey, just run off the ball.’ And I said, ‘Hey, you right!’ After that, things just started happening.”
The five-man unit of Smith, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Moses is expected to start the season for the Jets, with the right tackle being the last piece to fall into place as he recovered from surgery on a pectoral muscle.
It’s a small milestone — Moses is still on what amounts to a pitch count — but one that he was very much looking forward to.
Moses recounted that, during the first day he was in New York, he complained to Aaron Rodgers about not playing.
Rodgers told him to take his time — that the Jets didn’t need him right then.
“I was like, ‘Aaron said that, OK, all right. Let me take my time,’” Moses said. “You need that reminder, especially as a veteran, man, ’cause all you know is work, work, work. You need that reminder. Sometimes, you need to stay out the way from yourself.”
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A Jet back in 2021 before a two-year stint in Baltimore, Moses should complete a unit that brought in a pair of new tackles after struggling for much of last season.
The importance of protecting Rodgers was, of course, underlined and bolded after the quarterback went down four snaps into last season, with the offensive line having been an issue throughout camp in 2023.
The Jets can’t afford for that to happen again.
That’s why Smith was brought in, and it’s why Moses was brought back.
“He’s an elite human,” Saleh said of Moses. “His locker room presence, the way he prepares, he’s a veteran. … He’s so conscientious of his body. He’s not afraid to bring young guys with him and communicate and show guys the ropes. He’s experienced three NFL buildings, so he knows what all of them look like. He’s got great experience and he’s not afraid to share that.”
Realistically, Saleh noted, it’s a lot to hope the Jets will stay completely healthy upfront through all 17 games.
The reps that happened without Moses — with Olu Fashanu, Max Mitchell and Carter Warren having gotten some run with the first team — are important, too.
But building chemistry with their five best offensive linemen is what matters most.
“It’s very important, right? Because offensive line is the one group besides quarterbacks that never come off the field,” Moses said. “… It’s definitely great just to be able to work together, have the same mindset, see the game together as one unit. That’s definitely great for us.”
New York Jets offensive tackle Morgan Moses (78) left, battles guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (75) eight, during training camp in Florham Park, N.J.
Playing alongside Vera-Tucker again, three years after doing so when the 2021 draft pick was a rookie, has been particularly fun for Moses.
So has connecting with Smith, annually one of the best left tackles in the league and a second-team All-Pro last season.
“Watching Tyron, we’ve been in the same division for quite some time when I was in Washington,” Moses said. “So being able to see him play and the things that he’s done — we have the same mindset ’cause we were coached by the same offensive line coach [Bill Callahan] the majority of our careers. So we can relate to things off the field and talk about techniques and things like that.”
Now they can relate to a common goal as well.
