New York Jets rookie RT Armand Membou already had a tough matchup against T.J. Watt, but now it’s even harder. On virtually the eve of his NFL debut, he just lost his dance partner at right guard. On Wednesday, veteran RG Alijah Vera-Tucker suffered a significant injury. As talented as Membou is, he’s never played an NFL game and is going up against one of the best.
And Jets HC Aaron Glenn made no bones about that earlier this week. “Listen, Membou knows he has a tough job ahead of him, and we all know that”, he said. “We have to do everything we can to help him, and this week’s practice is gonna be vital for him to make sure he’s on point. There’s no secret he’s gonna go against Watt, so he’s gonna go out there and do the best he can”.
The Jets selected Armand Membou seventh overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the second OL off the board. There is no doubting the 21-year-old Missouri product’s talent, but you don’t simply step into the NFL and dominate. Not against an elite rush rusher like T.J. Watt.
Vera-Tucker was going to be critical in helping Membou navigate his first game, even helping to block Watt. The Jets will still have a right guard, of course, but it won’t be the one Membou has built a rapport with. If anything, New York will have to devote even more attention and additional bodies to defend Watt.
And that, obviously, could open the door for others, particularly Alex Highsmith on the other side. The Jets have another young first-round tackle on the left in Olu Fashanu, who started seven games last season as a rookie. The Steelers, of course, have their own young first-round tackles, but they’ve been working against Watt and Highsmith all offseason. Membou has only seen Watt on highlight reels.
And lest we forget, Membou will be trying to protect Justin Fields, a quarterback who takes a sack on more than one-tenth of his drop backs. Last year with the Steelers, Fields posted a career-best sack rate—and that was 9.04 percent.
At least publicly, Fields isn’t worrying about Membou’s ability to protect him going against Watt. “Just play his game. Of course he’s not gonna be perfect”, he advised. “I feel confident in him, and he’s prepared, so it should be fun”.
But he said that before Vera-Tucker’s injury, which adds another wrinkle into the mix. The nearest guard is a rookie tackle’s best friend, and chemistry is critical for linemen. The Steelers will want to take advantage and throw stunts at Armand Membou. They could even use T.J. Watt as a decoy, forcing him to bite and then send a blitzer around him. Or maybe Membou just shuts him down. After all, that’s why they play the games. We can talk about what we think will happen all we want, but the results will speak for themselves.
