Before he joined the Jets last season, offensive lineman John Simpson played all 17 regular-season games for Baltimore, protecting and blocking for one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL -- Lamar Jackson in his 2023 MVP season.
As he prepares for his second season with the Green & White, after playing a full slate of games in consecutive seasons, Simpson, 27, is pumped about protecting and blocking for another talented and mobile QB -- Justin Fields.
"You got to block longer, and there ain't nothing wrong with that," Simpson said during Phase 3 of the team's offseason program at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. "You got to be blocking as long as it takes for him to get the ball out of his hand. And that's our job, so you got to kind of do that. They're both athletes. That's about it."
In his past two seasons, Simpson (6-4, 330) has earned ironman status at guard -- playing 99% of the snaps on offense in his season with the Ravens and 95% with the Jets last season. He even took part in 51 plays on special teams.
There may be a new front-office regime at 1 Jets Drive with GM Darren Mougey and HC Aaron Glenn, but for the first time in a while the Jets are returning a tried-and-true offensive line. And have depth behind them. Simpson is joined on the left, blind side of the O-line by second-year man Olu Fashanu, who made a seamless move from the right side to lock down the left tackle position. Center Joe Tippmann, entering his third season, could face stiff competition with Josh Myers, who was signed in free agency, while RG Alijah Vera-Tucker is likely to find himself playing next to rookie Armand Membou, the team's top draft pick (No. 7 overall).
"He doesn't talk a lot, but I'm gonna get it out of him," Simpson said of Membou. "But he's one of those guys too, that's just going to work. I didn't really say much to him the first day, but he's been trying his best to understand ... get the understanding of everything and just figure things out. He's been doing a good job. Like I said, he doesn't really talk much, but he plays like he talks a lot."
Speaking about the center position, Simpson added: "Myers, he's super smart, he's one of those guys that you can just draw some up for him and he can figure it out. Same goes for Tip. Those guys are battling their butts off right now, just competing. And, you know, they're both super intelligent and just fighting warriors."
Along with a new coaching staff comes a different scheme for the O-linemen to learn and get comfortable with under the team's new O-line coach, Steve Heiden, who worked the past two seasons with Glenn and the Lions' coaching staff as the tight ends coach.
"I mean, it's definitely different," Simpson said. "I feel like every coordinator is going to have a different way to do things. So, yes, it's a little different, for sure, can't get into the details. Not anything that we can't handle."
The unit's talent and continuity have left Simpson, his teammates and outside observers with high expectations in a revamped passing and running attack.
"Obviously you try not to pay attention to the outside noise," he said. "But me, personally, I think that we can be one of the better groups in the NFL. I do have the confidence in this group to be able to have that title.
"It's big time, the continuity, just like the gel and stuff like that, just having the guys and knowing each other, and knowing our playing styles and stuff like that, being able to work off of each other without even saying a word sometimes. I mean, it plays a big role in who you got next to you. So I think it's a big deal."
Not that he requires any added incentive to do his job in the coming season, but Simpson and every other O-linemen will be eligible for a new NFL award, the Protector of the Year.
"We go under the radar a lot and a lot goes unnoticed," he said. "And to have an award like that will point out guys that are great at what they do. And I think it's huge for us. It gives you, it gives us a little more of an edge to want to go out there and dominate who's in front of us, obviously. That's what we want to do anyway, but it just gives us that extra fight.
"I want that award for sure. I know I want it."
