The Jets offensive line's ability to protect Aaron Rodgers has been a talking point since the trade that sent Rodgers to the AFC East and one of the questions has been whether their preferred left tackle Duane Brown will be healthy enough to be part of the effort.

Brown's been dealing with shoulder problems for some time and his recovery from surgery on his shoulder kept him from taking part in a full practice session until Thursday. Brown said it was difficult to get to "a certain level I’m accustomed to playing at" during the 2022 season because of his injury, but that his first taste of full speed action this summer left him feeling good about what the future will hold.

“It was the first time I got to strike somebody who weighed 300 pounds and see what it felt like and I was encouraged," Brown said, via Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post.

Brown knows that it's vital for his encouraging return to the field to turn into the kind of sustained success he enjoyed during his time in Houston and Seattle.

"We have a tough schedule this year, some guys that are really dominant on the edge,” Brown said. “To give myself a chance to be great, to give us a chance to win like we want to, I need that best version of myself. I feel a lot better than I did going into last year."

Brown won't play on Saturday, so his first chance to test himself in a game will come against the Bills on Monday night in Week One.