The New York Jets did a very nice job hitting the upgrade button in the trenches this offseason.
They added two new starters in Alijah Vera-Tucker at left guard (via the 2021 NFL draft) and Morgan Moses at right tackle (via free agency). On top of that, they traded for veteran Laurent Duvernay-Tardif ahead of the deadline and he eventually became their new starting right guard.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will this Jets’ offensive line.
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A Sneaky Name to Keep an Eye out For
On I’m Just Saying with Brian Mazique, the question was raised if you could pick one player in the NFL that the Jets should trade for this offseason, who would it be and why?
While Mazique didn’t pick a target to trade for, he did select an intriguing option that is set to be a free agent that would be a good fit in 2022:
“The name is Ted Karras of the New England Patriots. He is the most underrated offensive lineman in the National Football League. His versatility is extremely underrated: Karras can play center and either guard spot at a very high level. Why I believe this would be a potentially strong get for the Jets is because they need a veteran at center that can take some pressure off of their young quarterback. He is a guy that will come relatively cheap and he has been around for a while.”
Karras is 28 years old (will be 29 by the start of the 2022 season) and has been in the league since 2016.
During that run, he has played in 88 games and has started 44 of those. After starting his career as more of a swing backup option, over the last three years, Karras has become a full-time starter on the offensive line.
He is on a one-year deal for $3 million-plus incentives and is set to be an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
At the absolute worst he would be an excellent sixth offensive lineman for the Jets and at the best, he could be a nice plug-in on the interior for the next batch of years.
You can never have enough good offensive linemen and general manager Joe Douglas prides himself on that unit.
Questions That Need to Be Answered
AVT looks like the long-term answer at left guard and the team is hopeful that Mekhi Becton can be that same solution at left tackle.
He still hasn’t returned to practice since his injury in Week 1, but has done some fieldwork. The thought inside the building is he can hopefully play the final four games of the season and create some nice momentum heading into the offseason.
Outside of that, there are major question marks at center, right guard, and right tackle.
The Jets would be very interested in re-signing LDT and Moses based on their stellar play this season, although both are set to be unrestricted free agents this spring.
The last big decision will come at the center spot. Connor McGovern has played a lot better this year, but Gang Green could hit the reset button if they see fit.
The veteran has one more year left on his deal, but it includes an opt-out for the green and white. If they decide to move on they could save $9 million of his $10.3 million cap hit this offseason.
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Analyst Advocates Jets to Sign ‘Most Underrated OL in NFL’