SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Jets’ offense failed its first test of the preseason.
The Aaron Rodgers-led Jets had their first chance to face an opponent during a joint practice with the Panthers on Wednesday, but they had trouble moving the ball.
The offensive line was the main problem.
It allowed Rodgers to get pressured and raised questions about whether this unit will improve before the regular season gets here.
Quarterbacks can’t be touched in practice, but Rodgers would have been sacked at least twice, and perhaps a few other times.
In a two-minute drill to end practice, the Jets’ offense went three-and-out.
“I sensed frustration from everybody — everybody on the O-line, the coaches, Aaron. You can’t go three-and-out in a two-minute drive like that,” center Connor McGovern said. “I think there was disappointment from the whole team.”
There is still a month to go before the Jets open the season against the Bills on “Monday Night Football,” but they have to be concerned about the offensive line, particularly the tackles.
It is still unclear who the starting tackles will be.
Duane Brown, the leading candidate to start at left tackle, remains on the physically unable to perform list.
Head coach Robert Saleh said Brown is close to returning, but he has been saying that for weeks.
Max Mitchell and Billy Turner are getting the reps as starters right now, but neither should inspire confidence.
Panthers pass rusher Brian Burns raced past Mitchell several times on Wednesday.
Mekhi Becton is the most talented of the candidates at tackle, but he has not played a game in two years and left the Hall of Fame Game last week after playing seven snaps.
Saleh has said Becton has to learn to trust his surgically repaired right knee.
Becton had a few good blocks Wednesday, but watched the two-minute drill from the sideline.
It was unclear what happened that kept him out of the drill.
Rodgers said he is not concerned about the state of the line.
“With Duane, he’s going to play well,” Rodgers said. “We got to figure out who the first five is going to be. So, a lot of guys in competition right now. It seems like they’re switching the tackles left and right, just about daily with Max and Billy, just looking for consistency with those guys.
“I feel like the interior has been a bright spot, pretty consistent for us both the first and second group, we just need a little more consistency on the edge.”
As for practice Wednesday, Rodgers felt the Jets did not come out with the right mindset.
“I thought we maybe didn’t have the same type of energy, for whatever reason, at the start of practice,” Rodgers said, “but I thought there were some good things, a lot of learning tape out there. But I thought it was good to be out there against a different defense. I thought we handled the front pretty well in the run game. Pass game, there were some issues.”
The Jets have four weeks to clean up those issues before the Bills come to MetLife Stadium.
After Bryce Young led the Panthers’ offense to a field goal on their two-minute drive, the Jets’ offense stumbled.
Rodgers completed a short pass to Michael Carter on first down, then had two incompletions under pressure to end the drive — and the day — for the starters.
“I think it could have been better,” McGovern said of practice. “It’s a little bit different, first time we’ve seen more of a read style. They were firing off. They’re a good team. They came out playing hard. I think they might have surprised us for a second and then we picked it back up a bit.
“Obviously, two-minute, we’ve got to finish better than that. That’s 100 percent on the O-line, on protection in that two-minute drive.”
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