With Playoff Hopes Dead, Time for Jets to Play Olu Fashanu

With the 11th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the New York Jets selected Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu.  With their playoff hopes dead, now it’s time for the Jets to play Olu Fashanu.

Jul 25, 2024; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets offensive tackle Olu Fashanu (74) warms up during training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Viewed as a game-ready blue chip prospect, Fashanu was supposed to serve as the backup at both tackle spots in 2024.  Given the age and injury history of their starters, Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses, surely Olu Fashanu would see plenty of action, right? Apparently not.

Through seven miserable weeks of the NFL season, Fashanu has played just two games, both of which were on the right side, where he hasn’t played before and isn’t expected to start in the future.  The results were not good.  In his two starts earlier this season, Fashanu showed flashes but was also overmatched at times.  In fact, despite having just the two starts, the tackle has allowed team-worst nine pressures.  Only Tyron Smith has allowed more at nineteen.

While Fashanu has mostly been watching from the sidelines, Jets fans have watched Smith, a former All-Pro, suffer through his worst season ever.  After surrendering one sack every 262 pass block reps from 2021-2023, Smith has surrendered a sack every 52 reps heading in to last week’s loss to the Patriots.

It’s clear to anyone watching that Smith isn’t the player he was just a year ago in Dallas where he he allowed 3 sacks on 610 pass block reps according to PFF.  This season, he’s surrendered five on 337.  It puts him on pace to more than triple his sacks allowed from last season.

Fashanu was a left tackle in college and was drafted to be the teams left tackle of the future.  At 2-6, the future is  now.  If you can find a team willing to take him on, you trade Smith.  If not, you kindly ask him to finish up his last few games with the Jets watching Fashanu on Sundays and not have it the other way around.

Glenn Naughton

Glenn was Born in the Bronx, New York and has followed the Jets religiously despite being stationed in several different countries and time zones around the world. He now resides in England and has been a JetNation member since 2005. Glenn will bleed green with the rest of us through the highs and lows.

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