The offensive line cracks had already started to show by the time the Jets and the Giants collided at MetLife Stadium last October.
Duane Brown was on injured reserve. Alijah Vera-Tucker had torn his Achilles. And the Giant pass rush took advantage of those injuries, with Kayvon Thibodeaux finishing with three sacks and Dexter Lawrence adding another.
When the Jets and the Giants meet Wednesday for a joint practice in Florham Park, though, it’ll be another gauge for just how much the unit tasked with protecting Aaron Rodgers has transformed from being a glaring weakness to a strength.
This time, the Giants are scrambling to blend five starters together ahead of Week 1.
This time, the Jets know who, pending injuries, will be in front of Rodgers when he takes the first snap Sept. 9.
“It’s a real good group,” Jets coach Robert Saleh said, “and … we’ve been healthy so far, and we’ve done a lot of things differently this year with regards to reps and practice and all that. And I feel like we’re in a really good spot. We just gotta finish off strong.”
There were still adjustments. Vera-Tucker needed time before joining team drills. So did right tackle Morgan Moses, while recovering from pectoral surgery.
Center Joe Tippmann navigated growing pains with snaps.
Even with the revamped unit, it’ll be a challenge when Rodgers and the Jets line up across from the Giants, across from Thibodeaux, Lawrence and offseason acquisition — and two-time Pro Bowler — Brian Burns.
The Giants have invested in their pass rush each of the past two offseasons — first with Lawrence’s four-year, $90 million extension, then with the Burns trade and extension (five years, $150 million). Thibodeaux nearly tripled his sacks last year, too.
“He plays with great effort,” Saleh said of Thibodeaux. “He’s got great football IQ, and he’s relentless to the passer. So when you give guys like him opportunities to rush the passer, he’s gonna get home eventually.”
Rodgers still hadn’t heard from Saleh about whether he’ll appear in the preseason game Saturday, but he didn’t have a preference either way.
“I feel good about where I’m at with my body and what I’ve kind of put together,” Rodgers said.
Even when Xavier Gipson was out with a hamstring injury earlier in camp, he still needed to keep learning the league’s new kickoff rules.
So he wrote down everything that coaches mentioned, then he watched the Aug. 1 Hall of Fame Game between the Bears and Texans to see how those teams adapted.
The speedy returner — also in contention to become their starting slot receiver — said he likes the rule change, but acknowledged that it could still take some part of the season for teams to completely adjust.
“I feel like it’s like a repetition thing,” Gipson said. “Once everyone sees what the new rule is, how we can scheme up plays and big returns, I feel like that comes with time.”
Rodgers and linebacker C.J. Mosley had veteran rest days Tuesday and didn’t practice. The reps during team periods didn’t feature notable starters ahead of the joint practice. … TE Jeremy Ruckert (concussion) wasn’t wearing a red no-contact jersey.