Jets OL Alijah Vera-Tucker Out For Season
The Jets’ offense has been dealt another massive blow on the injury front. Head coach Robert Saleh announced on Monday that offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker is out for the remainder of the season due to a triceps tear (video link). 
[RELATED: Jets RB Hall Suffers Torn ACL]
Saleh added that Vera-Tucker will require surgery to repair the damage suffered during yesterday’s win over the Broncos. The news marks another significant loss on the offensive line, a unit which was already dealing with numerous injuries in 2022.
The tackle spot has been a particularly sore one for Gang Green. Mekhi Becton was ruled out for the season prior to Week 1 due to his most recent knee injury. That precipitated the signing of veteran Duane Brown, who was unable to make his Jets debut until Week 5. George Fant, meanwhile, was slated to serve as the team’s starting right tackle after the addition of Brown, but he is on IR as a result of a knee injury. Saleh indicated that it is unlikely Fant will be activated this week.
Given the uncertainty along New York’s offensive front, Vera-Tucker has had to wear multiple hats in 2022. Seeing time at both tackle spots, along with right guard, the 2021 first-rounder has filled in as needed along the line. That marks a significant change from last season, when the USC alum played exclusively at left guard – the spot now occupied by free agent signing Laken Tomlinson.
Given a solid PFF grade of 75.2 in run blocking this year, Vera-Tucker had not fared as well in pass protection. The 23-year-old was charged with 16 pressures allowed, leading to a 61.4 rating. Still, his absence will be felt on a Jets’ offense which just lost starting running back Breece Hall for the remainder of what had been a promising season. Saleh said Cedric Ogbuehi will step in as the team’s starting right tackle.
The 5-2 Jets will look to move ahead with a depleted offense and maintain their early success beginning on Sunday when they host the Patriots.
Jets RB Breece Hall Sustains ACL Tear
OCTOBER 24: An MRI has confirmed the Jets’ fears. Hall did, in fact, tear his ACL, Rapoport tweets. The rookie RB also has a meniscus injury, adding further to the lengthy recovery process he now faces to be able to return in 2023.
OCTOBER 23: The 5-2 Jets are one of the league’s biggest surprises through the first seven weeks of the 2022 season, but the club may have been dealt a brutal blow in Sunday’s victory over the Broncos. Rookie running back Breece Hall was carted off the field during the game, and head coach Robert Saleh said in his postgame presser that early tests indicate a serious knee injury (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, the team fears that Hall tore his ACL, which would obviously end his season.
Gang Green’s record is largely a product of its defense, which is a top-10 unit in terms of both yards allowed and points allowed per game. One of the bright spots on offense, though, has been Hall, the No. 36 overall pick of this year’s draft. The Iowa State product received single-digit rushing attempts in each of the Jets’ first three games of the season, and he showed enough to earn more playing time in recent weeks. From Weeks 4 to 6, Hall carried the ball 55 times for 279 yards (good for a 5.07 YPC rate) and three touchdowns. In Week 5, he added two receptions for 100 yards.
Hall was enjoying a similarly productive outing against Denver, ripping off a 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Unfortunately, he suffered the knee injury shortly thereafter, and it appears that one of the most exciting rookies in the league may be sidelined until 2023.
2021 fourth-rounder Michael Carter posted a respectable 4.3 YPC average in his first professional season, though his presence was clearly not enough to deter the Jets from selecting Hall this year. Carter is simply not as explosive as his younger counterpart, and his 3.8 YPC rate in 2022 is suboptimal. Nonetheless, he will be asked to pick up the slack in Hall’s absence, with Ty Johnson also likely to see an increase in playing time. Johnson, a sixth-round pick of the Lions in 2019, has yet to get a carry this season and has just one catch for four yards. New York also has Zonovan Knight on its practice squad.
Cimini points out that versatile O-lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, who is now playing right tackle, and wide receiver Corey Davis also exited the Broncos game early. Vera-Tucker sustained an elbow injury, while Davis went down with a knee ailment. Both players will undergo further testing on Monday, though Davis may have dodged a bullet; he was cleared to return to the game, but the coaching staff exercised caution by keeping him off the field.
NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/30/21
Here are Thursday’s reserve/COVID-19 list updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T D.J. Humphries
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on virus list: OL Jason Spriggs
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from virus list: QB Tyler Huntley, S Tony Jefferson, DL Justin Madubuike
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from virus list: OL Cody Ford, CB Cam Lewis
- Activated from practice squad virus list: TE Quintin Morris
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from virus list: CB Rashaan Melvin
- Placed on virus list: DE Darryl Johnston, S Kenny Robinson
- Placed on practice squad virus list: RB Reggie Bonnafon
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from virus list: DE Wyatt Ray, DT D.J. Reader
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from virus list: DT Jordan Elliott, K Chase McLaughlin, CB Greg Newsome II, C J.C. Tretter
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from virus list: CB Jourdan Lewis
- Placed on practice squad virus list: CB Kyron Brown, S Tyler Coyle
Denver Broncos
- Placed on virus list: CB Bryce Callahan, CB Mike Ford, T Bobby Massie, OLB Stephen Weatherly
Detroit Lions
- Placed on virus list: WR Kalif Raymond
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on virus list: OL Elgton Jenkins and LB Randy Ramsey
Houston Texans
- Placed on virus list: WR Danny Amendola
- Activated from virus list: DB A.J. Moore
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from virus list: LB Darius Leonard, WR Zach Pascal, S Khari Willis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on virus list: OL Will Richardson, S Andrew Wingard
- Placed on practice squad virus list: RB B.J. Emmons
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from virus list: WR Bryan Edwards
- Placed on virus list: DE Carl Nassib, G Jordan Simmons
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from virus list: LB Emeke Egbule, WR Mike Williams
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from virus list: T Andrew Whitworth
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on virus list: LB Nick Vigil
New England Patriots
- Placed on virus list: T Yodny Cajuste
- Activated from virus list: DL Deatrich Wise
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on virus list: C Erik McCoy
- Activated from virus list: DE Carl Granderson, Jalyn Holmes
New York Giants
- Placed on practice squad virus list: LB Omari Cobb
New York Jets
- Activated from virus list: S Ashtyn Davis, G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, DE John Franklin-Myers, G Alijah Vera-Tucker
- Placed on virus list: RB Tevin Coleman
- Activated from practice squad virus list: DE Hamilcar Rashed, WR Vyncint Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from virus list: LB Shaun Bradley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from virus list: LB Marcus Allen
- Placed on virus list: CB Arthur Maulet
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on virus list: G Damien Lewis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from virus list: DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from virus list: G Nate Davis, CB Caleb Farley; Farley remains on IR
Washington Football Team
- Placed on virus list: T Sam Cosmi, P Tress Way
- Placed on practice squad virus list: QB Kyle Shurmur
- Activated from virus list: DE Nate Orchard
- Activated from practice squad virus list: G Zack Bailey
NFL COVID List Updates: 12/21/21
Once again, we’ve had a busy day of moves on and off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Here are the players who were placed on the list or activated off of it today:
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: Practice Squad CB Cornell Armstrong, Practice Squad OLB Quinton Bell
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: Practice Squad WR Binjimen Victor
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Pernell McPhee
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Cole Beasley
Chicago Bears
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Artie Burns, DB Duke Shelley (remains on IR)
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Bilal Nichols
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Clay Johnston
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Mike Boone, Practice Squad WR Seth Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Houston Texans
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Jaleel Johnson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Blake Bell, LB Nick Bolton, DB Rashad Fenton, WR Tyreek Hill, G Kyle Long, T Lucas Niang, DB Armani Watts
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Chase Daniel, DE Joe Gaziano
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Von Miller, LB Christian Rozeboom
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Danielle Hunter, WR Dede Westbrook, WR Trishton Jackson
New England Patriots
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Dalton Keene (remains on IR)
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Juwan Johnson
New York Jets
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Mike White
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Michael Carter, G Alijah Vera-Tucker
Washington Football Team
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Troy Apke
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Sammis Reyes, DT Tim Settle
Jets Sign First-Round OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
Jets fans are still waiting for their team to ink second-overall pick Zach Wilson to his rookie contract, but the organization did manage to sign their other first-round pick today. The team announced that they’ve signed first-round guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.
The USC product was selected with the 14th pick during this past year’s draft. The offensive lineman’s rookie contract is worth a fully guaranteed $15.88MM, including an $8.9MM signing bonus.
A darling of scouts across the league, Vera-Tucker was lauded for his versatility and hard-nosed playing style during his time at USC. AVT was already considered a top offensive guard prospect heading into the 2020 season, but he added even more intrigue following a successful transition to tackle. After earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2019, he made a jump to the first team in 2020. He also earned the Morris Trophy this past season, awarded to the best OL/DL in the Pac 12 (as voted by players).
Vera-Tucker lacks elite athleticism, which means his future will probably be on the interior. Indeed, the rookie is currently projected to start at left guard for the Jets.
Following the signing, the Jets have only a pair of rookies who remain unsigned: Wilson and second-round wideout Elijah Moore.
Latest On Unsigned First-Round Rookies
After the Falcons inked first-round tight end Kyle Pitts to his rookie deal earlier today, there are eight first-round rookies who remain unsigned:
1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB (Clemson)
2) New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB (BYU)
3) San Francisco 49ers (from Texans via Dolphins): Trey Lance, QB (North Dakota State)
13) Los Angeles Chargers: Rashawn Slater, OT (Northwestern)
14) New York Jets (from Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL (USC)
15) New England Patriots: Mac Jones, QB (Alabama)
25) Jacksonville Jaguars (from Rams): Travis Etienne, RB (Clemson)
26) Cleveland Browns: Greg Newsome II, CB (Northwestern)
This isn’t a huge cause for concern, as first-round contracts are pretty standard and by-the-book. However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has an explanation for why at least a handful of these players still haven’t put pen to paper. According to the reporter (via Twitter), there are still some “wrinkles to work out” for the notable quarterback deals. This sentiment would presumably apply to each of the top-three picks, and it could even be referring to Patriots first-round quarterback Mac Jones.
There’s a number of minor details that agents could be pushing for, including signing bonus terms or any other contract language that goes beyond the standard, boilerplate options. On the other side, teams could be pushing for some type of offset language, meaning the organization would get some financial flexibility if the player for some reason doesn’t finish their rookie contract with the team.
When it comes to the quarterbacks, most of the agents are probably waiting to see how Lawrence’s deal unfolds in Jacksonville. Alternatively, if Bill Belichick and the Patriots (somehow) give in to any demands from Jones camp, you can bet the top-three QBs would argue for similar benefits. While there are a number of reasons why the other, non-QB players have yet to sign, one could guess that the two offensive lineman may be pushing for similar terms (Vera-Tucker could also simply be waiting for his teammate to sign their contract). Etienne is in a unique position as one of only two first-round running backs (or, like Vera-Tucker, he could be waiting for his teammate), while Newsome recently fired his agent.
The teams and the players will want the contracts settled prior to training camp in late-July, but that still leaves a few weeks for negotiating.
Ten First-Round Picks Remain Unsigned
This year, NFL teams have been quick to tackle their rookie paperwork. Still, there are a decent number of unsigned draft picks remaining, including ten of this year’s first-rounders: 
- QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 1 overall)
- QB Zach Wilson, New York Jets (No. 2 overall)
- QB Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers (No. 3 overall)
- TE Kyle Pitts , Atlanta Falcons (No. 4 overall)
- OT Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers (No. 13 overall)
- OG Alijah Vera-Tucker, New York Jets (No. 14 overall)
- QB Mac Jones, New England Patriots (No. 15 overall)
- RB Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 25 overall)
- CB Greg Newsome II, Cleveland Browns (No. 26 overall)
- DE Joe Tryon, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 32 overall)
In a sense, this is a sign that things are back to normal in football following the pandemic. For example, by June 12th of 2019, 22 first-round picks had put pen to paper, with 222 rookies inked on the whole. However, around this time last year, there were just two first-round picks officially in the fold – Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Panthers defensive lineman Derrick Brown.
Offset language and similar minutia could be holding these ten deals up, but there’s no reason to panic. In all likelihood, these rookie contracts will be squared away before the start of training camp this summer.
Vikings Trade No. 14 Pick To Jets; Jets Take Alijah Vera-Tucker
It’s shaping up to be a big night for the Jets. After selecting BYU quarterback Zach Wilson No. 2 overall, the Jets have traded back up to snag the Vikings’ No. 14 overall pick. In the process, they’ve leapfrogged Bill Belichick and the Patriots, who were unable to move up from No. 15.
With the 14th pick, the Jets selected USC guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. The choice wasn’t met with much of a reaction from the crowd in Cleveland, but GM Joe Douglas was practically doing cartwheels. A darling of scouts across the league, Vera-Tucker has been lauded for his versatility and hard-nosed playing style.
AVT was already considered a top offensive guard prospect heading into the 2020 season, but he added even more intrigue following a successful transition to tackle. After earning second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2019, he made a jump to the first team in 2020. He also earned the Morris Trophy this past season, awarded to the best OL/DL in the Pac 12 (as voted by players).
Vera-Tucker lacks elite athleticism, which means his future will probably be on the interior. Either way, his high-IQ play style and versatility should make him a contributor for the Jets right off the bat.
Here’s the full breakdown of the deal that brought Vera-Tucker to the east coast:
Vikings Receive
- Pick No. 23
- Pick No. 66
- Pick No. 86
Jets Receive
- Pick No. 14
- Pick No. 143
Draft Trade Rumors: Bears, Falcons, Bengals
Here’s a few of the latest draft rumors, with a focus on teams that could be moving up or down the board in the first round:
- The Bears, who hold the No. 20 overall pick, have been rumored as a team that could be climbing up the draft board to grab a QB, but as Albert Breer of SI.com writes, they haven’t been particularly active in trade discussions just yet. A lot can happen in a week, and Breer says rival clubs do expect Chicago to at least consider a bold trade to land a top passer. On the other hand, such a deal will be very expensive in terms of draft capital, and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune hears from some sources that GM Ryan Pace might try to protect his draft assets to fill his club’s multiple needs. Still, Pace’s job and HC Matt Nagy‘s job are very much in jeopardy, and unless the duo is particularly high on a second-tier QB like Florida’s Kyle Trask, expect the team to exhaust all possible avenues for a trade up.
- The Falcons may be open to all options when it comes to their No. 4 overall pick, but Breer is getting the sense that Atlanta is perfectly content to stay right where it is. Whether the Falcons take a QB with that pick or the top non-QB prospect in the draft remains an open question, but they have put a very high price on their selection, and it sounds like they will need to be overwhelmed by a trade offer to move it.
- The buzz around the Bengals has pointed towards the team keeping its No. 5 overall pick and selecting LSU WR Ja’Marr Chase. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin said that he has engaged in talks with teams looking to move up to No. 5, but he wants to stay put and select a premier talent (Twitter link via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com).
- Other teams are expecting the Dolphins to keep the No. 6 selection, but GM Chris Grier says that he will continue listening to trade offers up until the pick is in (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). If he does get an offer that convinces him to move down, he won’t want to slide too far.
- Connor Hughes of The Athletic says Jets GM Joe Douglas could try to engineer a trade up from the No. 23 overall pick, especially if an OL like Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater or USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker should start to fall. However, he doesn’t see Douglas moving into the top-15.