What options do the Jets have?

Edition #196

Good Morning.

It’s a little bit of a somber morning this morning as we face the reality of losing our former first-round offensive tackle for the 2nd season in a row. Becton has a confirmed fractured kneecap.

It sucks. It sucks for the Jets but more importantly it sucks for Becton. A player who’s faced a ton of criticism and who turned up in great shape ready to work.

This does raise the question as to whether we’ll ever see Becton play for the Jets again, two big injuries to the same knee for a man his size is notable. We’ll get into that a little more down the road, but for now, we’re going to concentrate on what the Jets could do to fill that gap.

• The Jets announced that they had officially signed offensive linemen Caleb Benenoch and Chris Glaser, and in corresponding moves, they released Parker Ferguson and Hamilcar Rashed.

• With Becton missing Chuma Edoga got the first crack at the starting right tackle job in practice yesterday. It didn’t start well for the offensive line with Zach Wilson getting sacked by Quinnen on one of the first plays. He then got sacked by Solomon Thomas, Jacob Martin (twice), Sheldon Rankins and then Quinnen again. In total Zach was sacked 8 times.

• With George Fant working his way back from injury we had Chuma Edoga protecting his blindside at LT and Max Mitchell protecting him at RT…by all accounts, it really wasn’t pretty.

• Emotions were running really high for the first time with three different skirmishes between players. When that starts happening, it usually means they’re ready to hit some opposition players. Fortunately, they don’t have to wait too long.

• Even with the defense dominating the practice, both Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis continue to have good camps, both made a couple of nice grabs each.

• Reed, Ty Johnson, and Vinny Curry missed the session with hamstring ailments. Hopefully, they all get back in sooner rather than later, Reed is the main one to watch here, but fortunately, the Jets have good CB depth thanks to the 2021 season.

• Jeremy Ruckert was out there on the practice field and he made his first grab of camp. It’s great to see him out there and now it’s a case of him playing catchup.

• Robert Saleh confirmed that Zach Wilson will play on Friday which is giving me heart palpitations just writing it, hopefully, Fant can play as a combination of Edoga and Mitchell protecting Zach is not a welcome thought

Duane Brown - The Jets hosted the former Seattle Seahawk at the weekend and he is likely the #1 priority for Joe Douglas over the next 23 hours. The former 5-time Pro-Bowler is also a former All-Pro. Brown has only ever played on the left side of the line so would the Jets move him to the right or ask George Fant to shift back to the right side? My belief is that the Jets don’t want to move Fant, so there is that. Joe Douglas confirmed the wheels are in motion and Saleh later confirmed there was still mutual interest on both sides. In the end, I believe this one gets done.

Alijah Vera-Tucker - I don’t believe that the Jets want to move AVT, but one of his best traits is his versatility. The Jets have better interior depth with Nate Herbig than they do tackle depth, so could they put AVT to right tackle and bring Herbig in to play guard? That’s an option, all be it I don’t think it’s one the Jets are considering right now. AVT played RG, LG, and LT at USC but no RT. I don’t think it happens.

Chuma Edoga - 9 sacks, 42 pressures, and a pass-blocking efficiency of 94.2 doesn’t scream confidence. Edoga has never had a consistent run in the team, but he has played on both the left and right side of the line. He had an excellent game against the Bengals last year, but that was against the norm. I wouldn’t feel comfortable heading into the season with Edoga protecting Zach.

Max Mitchell - Mitchell was PFF’s highest graded tackle last season but most analysts consider him raw for NFL action in year one. He still has some technical deficiencies that he’ll need to work on and the Jets hoped to redshirt him in 2022. How many times have we seen players step up when their number is called? We’ve also seen Robert Saleh back him over the last 24 hours, so there is a world where we could see Max start in 2022.

Teven Jenkins - According to multiple reports the Chicago Bears are considering trading Teven Jenkins, but there is a reason they’re willing to part with a 2nd round pick from 2021 so quickly. Teven has experienced a number of injuries and he’s only just started practicing at camp, although he’s stated that the rumors of him clashing with coaches are completely false. Jenkins came into the league with so much potential and he’s only 24. He allowed 2 sacks on 117 pass block snaps last year but depending on the price this could be a good gamble, He’s healthy right now.

Andre Dillard - For the last month we’ve heard that the Eagles would be willing to trade Andre Dillard, a former first-round pick from 2019. Dillard only has 677 snaps to his name over the last two years, but he only allowed 1 sack over 250 pass-blocking snaps in 2021. He’s predominantly played on the left side but he does have a handful of NFL snaps to his name at RT and his game would suit the style the Jets operate. Who knows what the price would be, but Dillard could be a long-term solution.

Bryan Bulaga - Currently a free agent, Bulaga has experienced a couple of years of injury while with the Chargers and it’s probably not worth exploring a soon to be 34 year old with a balky back. Let’s just file this one under the tab that he’s out there but isn’t an appealing option.

Daryl Williams - This is one of the more appealing options to me. Williams spent the 2021 season with the Buffalo Bills and played well as a right guard and right tackle. He allowed 4 sacks on the season over 778 pass-blocking snaps, his 72.4 pass-blocking grade is noticeable, especially as that came on the back of an 80.0 pass-blocking grade in 2020. He allowed 21 pressures and just 3 sacks as a full-time tackle in 2020.

Marcus Cannon - When a player gets released from the Houston Texans, you probably aren’t rushing to call his agent. The 34-year-old was a longtime Patriot, but like Bulaga, he had some back issues last season. It’s dangerous to prioritize a player of his age with back injuries, so like Bulaga I can’t see anything coming of this one.

Bobbie Massie - Massie had his best run-blocking season in 2021 since 2015, but his pass protection has always been a little up and down. He allowed 5 sacks and 36 pressures in 2021 with Denver with a pass-blocking efficiency of just 95.5, that’s quite poor for a tackle. But his final 3 years in Chicago were relatively productive, he also has significant experience at RT with nearly 8,000 NFL snaps to his name.

Brandon Shell - Could the former Jet be coming home? Shell has never been much of a run blocker, but he has improved his pass blocking over the years and he allowed 3 sacks and 21 pressures in 2021, a year after he allowed 3 sacks and 19 pressures in 2020. Shell wouldn’t be my first or even second choice, but I think the Jets could do a lot worse, he also has nearly 4,000 NFL snaps at right tackle.

Bears star linebacker Roquan Smith has requested a trade. The Bears and Smith are currently at a contract impasse and Smith has yet to report to camp with pre-season set to get going this weekend.

The Cincinnati Bengals have decided to change the name of their stadium from the “Paul Brown Stadium” to the “Paycor Stadium” - Money talks in sports and stadium naming rights are a great revenue driver.

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera has fired defensive line coach Sam Mills III citing philosophical differences.

Las Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay announced that he signed a contract extension this off-season and General Manager Les Snead will follow.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says evidence calls for at least full-year suspension for Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson.

Cleveland Browns fear a torn Achilles for WR/KR Jakeem Grant who was having an outstanding camp as the Browns slot receiver after being signed to a three-year deal to be a KR/PR option for the Browns.