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As soon as the legal tampering period opened back up in March, the New York Jets made quick work to secure an important cog to their offseason plans.
Gang Green immediately set their sights on veteran offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson who was hitting the open market for the first time.
It didn’t take long for the two to come to terms on a massive three-year deal worth over $40 million with $27 million of that in total guarantees. However, after a one-game sample size, some people are already feeling queasy about that decision.
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What in the Flying Hoot Happened to Laken Tomlinson?
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report highlighted the five NFL players after Week 1 that could use a do-over after a disappointing performance.
Tomlinson surprisingly cracked the list. Not surprising because of how he performed, it was putrid, but that he would ever be on this list, to begin with.
“New York’s front office may be regretting doling out those dollars after an abysmal Gang Green debut. Tomlinson was the weakest link on an offensive line that allowed veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to be pressured a concerning 20 times. According to Pro Football Focus, the 30-year-old was responsible for over a third of those pressures and lost seven other reps that were fortunate not to result in pressure.”
Tomlinson is coming off a Pro Bowl campaign with the San Francisco 49ers and was among the best guards available in free agency.
After a disappointing start to his career with the Detroit Lions, the 30-year-old was traded to the 49ers.
Everything clicked and Tomlinson started to realize his full potential. The iron man has played and started in 81 consecutive games (including his debut with the Jets in 2022).
However that rock-steady and reliable play just simply didn’t translate in Week 1. The Ravens had his number all day long and his failures doomed the entire Jets offense.
Totally Changes the Dynamic
Tomlinson by all accounts was an automatic don’t even think about it stud when the Jets signed him.
A player that exclusively played left guard in the same scheme in San Francisco was going to take his rightful place at the same position in New York.
The Jets believed in him so much in fact that they asked their promising youngster who has future All-Pro potential in Alijah Vera-Tucker to flip to the other side.
If Tomlinson is in any way compromised heading into the rest of the season the Jets are in big trouble.
Gang Green talked the talk on Tomlinson this offseason saying he and AVT could be among, if not the best guard combination in football.
The #Jets wanted to build a wall around QB Zach Wilson (@ZachWilson) & they did.
GM Joe Douglas called Laken Tomlinson (@laken77) + Alijah Vera-Tucker (@ALIJAHVT) “one of, if not the best guard combinations” in the #NFL & he is freaking right! What a turnaround! #TakeFlight
One game in and that doesn’t seem even remotely the case.
When I spoke to two separate insiders (Connor Hughes of SNY and Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic) they were dumbfounded by Tomlinson’s egregious performance.
The narrative is hopefully this was just a blip on the radar. Tomlinson has been too good, specifically in this scheme, to just all of the sudden stink in 2022.
Gang Green better hope so because things don’t get any easier moving forward.
Coming up next in Week 2 is a dynamic duo in Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney who can absolutely wreak havoc and destroy a gameplan if you aren’t ready.
There is already enough volatility in the trenches for the Jets, they can’t afford for one of their projected studs to all of the sudden not live up to the hype.
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Jets May Be ‘Regretting’ Monster $40 Million Investment, Says Analyst