Getty New York Jets offensive lineman Duane Brown in the middle of an NFL game.
Duane Brown announced earlier this offseason that he plans on returning for his No. 17 NFL season, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.
The former Virginia Tech product is 37 years of age and he will turn 38 before the start of the 2023 season.
Brown may not appear to be an old man to the outside world but in football terms, he is an elderly person.
A group of NFL scouts recently predicted for Bleacher Report that the New York Jets would acquire some “premium insurance” with the No. 13 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
“With Mekhi Becton and Alijah Vera-Tucker coming off season-ending injuries and Duane Brown’s 38th birthday coming in August, [Peter] Skoronski provides premium insurance.”
Peter Skoronski Would Be a Versatile Answer to a Complicated Jets Problem
With the Jets having so many different question marks on the offensive line it’s hard to figure what is the best solution.
There is a chance that Becton arrives at camp healthy. Brown could prove that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Maybe Max Mitchell will be fully recovered from his scary blood clot situation. Laken Tomlinson is coming off of the worst year of his career and a bounceback could be in order. AVT is coming off of a torn triceps but looked fantastic pre-injury.
However, there is also a chance that any or all of those problems persist into 2023. The issue from a Jets perspective is how do you cover all of your bases for so many different potential problems?
Part of the Bleacher Report pitch to the Jets with their mock draft selection of Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski is his versatility.
“The Jets’ desire to upgrade multiple offensive line spots can be satiated by adding Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski outside of the top 10, which would check both the value and need boxes,” offensive line guru Brandon Thorn explained for Bleacher Report. “Skoronski is widely considered the best overall offensive lineman in the class and has the skill set to step in right away as a plus starter.”
In other words, if everyone comes back healthy Skoronski can be the perfect swiss army knife to fill in where he is needed. However if some of those 2022 Jets problems become 2023 issues, Skoronski can plug in at left tackle, or maybe kick inside to guard, or heck even go back to his days playing center in high school.
Jets Have Flipped the NFL Draft Script in Recent Years
Between the years 2007 and 2019 the Jets didn’t select a single offensive lineman in the first round of the NFL draft. 13 years without investing a premium resource in the trenches is what we like to call in the business clear and obvious neglect.
However, since general manager Joe Douglas has taken over in New York they have completely shifted the narrative.
According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, the Jets are one of only four NFL teams that have selected multiple offensive linemen in the first round since 2020.
Those other teams include the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, and Los Angeles Chargers.
🏈#Jets draft pre: One of only 4 teams to select multiple OL in 1st Rnd since 2020 (Saints, Giants, Chargers). Becton in ’20, AVT in ’21.
Could happen again, as OT remains a need. C also a big need, probably 2nd rd. Showing lot of interest in Minnesota C John Michael Schmitz.
The jury is still out on Becton with him only playing 48 snaps over the last two seasons. However, AVT appeared to be on pace to become a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in 2022 prior to getting hurt.
Cimini noted that the streak could continue during the upcoming 2023 NFL draft “as OT remains a need.”