Playing tackle in the NFL is tough, and playing tackle in New York City is even tougher. When it comes to the New York Jets’ rookie 7th overall selection Armand Membou, much was left to be desired after three preseason outings.
The starter was asked to suit up on Friday night in the final preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the few starters to do so. Whether this was an indictment on his progress made throughout training camp, or just another way to get your rookie a few reps before you ask him to start 17 games, the trend continued.
He committed a penalty that nullified a first down and jumped offsides as he stumbled his way through his two drives. Still, first year head coach had nothing but good things to say about the first round pick.
“That is one of the hardest positions to come in at as a rookie and have everything down pat,” Glenn said Friday. “I don’t know too many guys that, at that position, can do that.”
“It’s going to be a learning curve for him, and that’s okay. He’s going to be a damn good player for us. I have all the confidence in the world for him.”
Luckily for Membou, he has a handful of former first round lineman he can lean on in the locker room as well as he navigates a position that Glenn says is the hardest in football.
“I think it’s harder to play that position than corner or receiver or anything like that because of the nature of the guys that you go against on a daily basis,” Glenn said. “But I look forward to how he progresses throughout the season because he’s going to be a good one for us.”
Armand Membou’s Staggering PFF Numbers
The Pro Football Focus grading system is the jumping off point accepted across the NFL and college football to judge player performance. It does not tell the full story, but it is regarded as a dependable metric.
Membou received astonishingly low marks through his first two outings.
“Membou earned a brutal 29.9 Pro Football Focus grade against the Giants last week, and his preliminary grade for Friday’s game came in at just 45.5,” Justin Fried writes. “That leaves the rookie with an overall preseason grade of a lowly 35.2.”
Who’s-Who Of Edge Rushers
Glenn might have had a point when he pointed to the skillset of the league’s edge rushers. And, unfortunately for Glenn, the Jets will play host to the NFL’s premiere talent at the position in just 14 days.
But besides TJ Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers, how bad could it be for the rookie and the rest of the overwhelmingly young o-line? The answer: pretty bad.
“It’s not just Watt, though. In New York’s first six games of the 2025 season, they take on quality edge rushers like Gregory Rousseau, Joey Bosa, Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson, Micah Parsons, Nik Bonitto, and Jonathon Cooper,” wrote Nick Firia.
And that’s just the first six times Membou touches an NFL field. That doesn’t even mention the matchups with Myles Garrett and Trey Hendrickson coming down the pipe.
This will definitely be an exciting story line to keep an eye on week in and week out as the Jets look to establish a new identity on offense.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Jets’ Aaron Glenn Says O-line Is ‘Harder Than Corner’, Speak’s On Membou’s Struggles appeared first on Heavy Sports.