Stuck in the Middle

Edition #308

Good morning!

As expected, we received confirmation yesterday that Darrell Bevell the current pass game coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Miami Dolphins will interview for the vacant Jets offensive coordinator position.

The reaction to that news has been mixed among Jets fans, some are happy with his experience, and some don’t believe he’s had enough success to be warranted the favorite.

We’re going to take a quick break from the OC search today to talk about the Jets anchor, currently lost at sea. We’re going to look at Connor McGovern and his market value. We’re going to compare and contrast all the free-agent centers and then highlight the strength in depth of the center draft class.

We have a lot to get to.

First, we’re going to get to some quick throws, and over the off-season, we’ll make these more generic.

Ohio State QB CJ Stroud officially declared for the NFL draft. The more QBs that get drafted the more players in other positions may fall to the Jets.

The Colts have requested permission to interview Giants DC Wink Martindale for their vacant head coach position. Wink was one of the many candidates that fans liked before the Jets hired Robert Saleh.

Baltimore Ravens RB JK Dobbins vented post-game about the goal line fumble that swung the momentum in the Bengals’ favor: “(Tyler Huntley) should never have been in that situation. I believe I would have put it in the end zone, again."

The Jets pick they sent to Jacksonville for James Robinson will remain a 6th-round pick. It could have escalated to a 5th had Robinson rushed for 260+ yards with the Jets, but he managed just 85 in four games played. So it will be the higher 6th-round pick the Jets hold thanks to Houston deciding to trade a pick for Blake Cashman.

According to reports, Georgia OC/QB coach Todd Monken is getting some interest from NFL teams in terms of their opening coordinator positions. Monken has done wonders for the Bulldogs and Stetson Bennett. He was OC for Tampa Bay in 2016 (19th in PPG), 2017 (18th in PPG), 2018 (12th in PPG), and then Cleveland OC in 2019 (22nd in PPF).

The Jets were awarded defensive tackle Isaiah Mack off waiver from the Seattle Seahawks. He was undrafted back in 2019 out of Chattanooga but has 25 games under his belt recording 2.5 sacks and 3 tackles for a loss.

Jim Harbaugh announced that he was remaining at Michigan. He'd been getting some buzz in terms of open NFL head coaching gigs.

The Jets will have a lot of decisions to make this off-season, starting with the formation of their new offensive staff, challenged with unlocking the potential of the Jets’ offense.

One key decision will be who’s throwing the ball next year, and we’ll give that question plenty of column inches over the coming weeks.

Another is who will be snapping the ball to whoever the QB will be. It’s not as glamorous as the QB position, but it’s a key position and unlike QB, the Jets have a history of excellent center play. Whether it’s heading back to the ’70s and ’80s with Joe Fields, the ’90s with Kevin Mawae, or the 2000s with Nick Mangold.

The Jets line has been in a constant state of upheaval over the last three years, but Connor McGovern at center has been the consent. He’s started 16, 15, and 17 games through his three years of service in New York.

That may be coming to an end. McGovern signed a three-year $27 million contract back in 2020, and that contract will expire with the new league year. So do the Jets re-sign him and if they choose not to, who’s available?

Re-Signing McGovern

I wrote a piece about the evolution of McGovern back in June and I just wanted to borrow a couple of quotes from that piece for today’s column:

“I like the Jets a lot, It’s a team that I think is on the upwards trajectory. I would love to be a part of a team where I was there when it turned around. It makes you feel as though you left a legacy and you weren’t just part of one. I hope to play there for a long time and we’ll see how it works out. The NFL’s a business and you got to see how it works out after this year but I love the Jets, I love playing in New York and I can’t imagine what it would be like to be on a Jets team, In New York City and win a lot of football games, that’s one of the best places to be when you’re winning a lot of football games”

Following the conclusion of the 2022 season, McGovern was asked for his thoughts on his upcoming free agency and he responded with:

“I think the people here are gonna make the difference, they're the reason there has been a turnaround here in the last 2-3 years, ever since I got here it’s just improved every season…I couldn’t imagine a better team to be a part of in this market to turn it around, the biggest market in the country…I would love to be a part of that, to watch those changes, to be a part of those changes, it would be something special”

When asked if the conversations have started about coming back he said: