The Pittsburgh Steelers will open the 2025 campaign with a Week 1 matchup against the New York Jets. While all eyes will be on Aaron Rodgers as he looks to get revenge on his former team, the Jets have reportedly suffered a serious injury blow involving offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker.
The No. 14 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Vera-Tucker enjoyed the best season of his career in 2024, starting 15 games for the Jets at right guard. After enduring a slew of injury issues over the previous two years, New York was thrilled to have Vera-Tucker playing up to his potential.
As a result, Vera-Tucker was set to enter the 2025 campaign as the team’s starting right guard. Those plans have been put in jeopardy, though, as the former first-round pick has reportedly suffered a serious arm injury that could need surgery, which would cause him to miss an extended period of time.
“Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker has suffered a potentially serious injury and could miss significant time, source says,” Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported. “New York’s offensive line takes a hit ahead of its Week 1 game against the Steelers. Vera-Tucker was just named a captain for Aaron Glenn.”
Without Vera-Tucker, the Steelers could feast against a weakened Jets offensive line in Week 1. With T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith leading the way, Pittsburgh has one of the best pass rushes in the league, and they could make life miserable for Justin Fields as he makes his debut for New York.
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If Vera-Tucker ends up being unable to play in Week 1, which seems likely to happen, Josh Myers could kick over to right guard after spending the start of his career playing at center. Xavier Newman is also a candidate to fill in, although he is an unproven option at this point. The Steelers and Jets will open their season on Sunday, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
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