Although the Jets have made some decent strides early in the 2026 NFL season, they've also left much to be desired in certain areas. The offensive line, in particular, is one area holding Gang Green back from reaching its full potential, and a mistake-filled performance against the Lions on Sunday truly hammered that home .
Despite the unit's up-and-down performance, left guard Dylan Parham - who signed a two-year, $20 million contract in the offseason -has been one of the consistent bright spots on New York 's O-line. At least, that was the case until he left the Week 3 loss with a knee injury and didn't return.
Considering how Parham couldn't even put weight on his ankle, it's fair to see that he might miss Week 4's clash with the Bears (if he isn't out for longer). The Jets' latest practice squad activity further cements that argument.
On Tuesday afternoon, the New York Post 's Brian Costello reported that the Jets are signing offensive linemen Nick Dawkins and Jimmy Morrissey to the practice squad . In a subsequent move to make room, New York also waived veteran cornerback Jordan Clark , who "could return on the practice squad if he clears waivers," per Costello.
Assuming that Parham is about to miss time, signing multiple guards makes sense.
Jordan Meredith filled in for Parham after the latter left against the Lions, only to finish with uninspiring Pro Football Focus grades of 45.2 for offense, 52.5 for run blocking and 30.0 in pass protection. Those numbers aren't great on their own, and they look even worse given that he's the Jets' only 53-man roster option since rookie Anez Cooper is still on the injured reserve .
Between Parham's developing situation and Meredith's poor play, New York has nothing to lose and everything to gain by testing its available options.
Dawkins is a Penn State product who spent the summer with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent. While he didn't exactly impress in pass protection during his three preseason appearances, Dawkins used his 6-foot-4, 299-pound frame fairly well as a run blocker , finishing with an 83.4 grade on PFF . It's also worth pointing out that all 46 snaps he played came as a left guard after spending his entire collegiate career at center.
Former Penn State OL Nick Dawkins could help provide the Jets with some much-needed LG depth if Dylan Parham misses time. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
While Dawkins is an unproven option, Morrisey is the opposite. The former 2021 seventh-rounder by the Raiders is now in his sixth NFL season, having made 15 appearances (four starts) with the Texans and Colts. Much like the Jets' other new arrival, Morrisey showed some run-blocking skills in the preseason , playing to a grade of 88.7 in three outings with Indianapolis .
That said, it's been a while since Morrisey played on the left side of the interior, with his most recent LG snaps (three) coming with the Texans in 2023. He's often played center at the NFL level during the regular season; however, he did play 77 right guard snaps for the Colts this summer.
The Jets also have second-year pro Kohl Levao-who played snaps at RG, LG and center in the preseason-on the practice squad. He's the likeliest elevation candidate if New York's new duo is still dealing with a learning curve heading into the weekend.
That said, whether Levao, Dawkins or Morrisey is elevated and sees action in Week 4 will depend on how they perform in practice, as well as what the coming days hold for Parham's situation. The former Raider currently ranks highly among 73 qualified guards on PFF when it comes to:
Overall offense:88.7 (2nd)
Run block:90.4 (2nd)
Pass block:75.9 (12th)
In other words, it's going to be hard to fill Parham's void if he misses any time. Let's hope that, no matter who the Jets' next man up is, they're ready to give it their all to help turn around one of the team's most inconsistent positions.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/jets/onsi as Dylan Parham Injury Concerns Might Be Behind Jets' Latest Practice Squad Signings .
