When you’re stuck in a 3-8 hole with the playoffs likely out of reach, it’s hard to appreciate the positives. 

We can’t escape the fact that the 2024 season hasn’t gone to plan, it’s been difficult and the record is not where anyone envisioned the Jets being entering the bye week. 

But there have been some positives on the season, and one of those is the play of Jets left guard John Simpson, who joined the Jets this spring on a two-year deal. 

A 4th-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, it wasn’t until he reached Baltimore that he found his stride in the NFL. 

Having joined the Ravens practice squad, he won the battle for the left guard position vacated by Ben Powers in 2023 and never looked back. 

Last season he played every game for the Ravens, blocking the way for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and the 4th-ranked scoring offense. 

In over 700 pass-blocking snaps, Simpson allowed just 1 sack and 31 pressures, and this year he has performed even better. 

Through the first 11 games of the season and over 400 pass-blocking snaps, Simpson has yet to allow a sack and has allowed just 9 pressures.

For offensive guards who have appeared in at least 500 snaps this season (of which there are 47), Simpson is ranked as the 6th best guard in football. Only three guards have allowed fewer pressures and he’s part of a group of just 11 players who have yet to allow a sack.

In terms of pass-blocking efficiency, a PFF signature stat measuring pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed, only Quinn Meinerz and All-Pro Joe Thuney better his mark of 98.9. 

Not wanting to be a one-trick pony, Simpson is also highly graded in the run game. His 82.1 grade is the 4th best among guards who have played at least 200 run-blocking snaps, of which there are 49. 

If you break that down even further, you can see his consistency across both gap and zone run concepts. He’s a top-15 guard in zone and a top-2 guard in gap, making him an extremely valuable commodity and an extension candidate as he enters 2025 on the last year of his deal.

The former Clemson man has perhaps exceeded expectations, which is always a positive when you’re looking at free agent signings. He’s big and powerful, has strong hands, a firm base and is technically sound across the board. 

It’s rare for a guard who possesses his traits to hit free agency and you tip your hat to the Jets Pro Personnel division for identifying him. 

Simpson only turned 27 earlier this season, so it’s reasonable to expect that his best years are still ahead of him, which is an exciting prospect for the Jets. 

Not only would that mean the left guard position is solidified for years to come, but it would also give the offensive line time to grow together. 

Olu Fashanu (21) is expected to be the long-term answer at left tackle having been taken with the 11th overall pick in the 2024 draft. Fashanu, who is starting in place of the injured Tyron Smith, impressed Jeff Ulbrich, who had this to say: “He’s exactly what we thought we were going to get. He’s intelligent, he’s athletic, he’s big, and he’s powerful.”

On the other side of Simpson is Joe Tippmann (23) who’s ranked inside the top-10 himself when it comes to run-blocking and has continued to improve his pass-blocking technique. With those three settled on the line, it gives the Jets an opportunity to build and sustain a cohesive unit for a long time to come. Add in Alijah Vera-Tucker (25) at RG and the Jets have something cooking up front.