Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh taking it all in the middle of an NFL game.
The New York Jets upgraded their offensive line from 2020 to 2021 with some savvy new additions like Alijah Vera-Tucker, Morgan Moses, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.
While the trench play was better, their work isn’t done yet.
To truly reach the next level the green and white will have to invest even more resources into the offensive line. Although the key will be to spend wisely, not recklessly in free agency.
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Time to Turn the Other Cheek
Jake Rill recently penned a column for Bleacher Report documenting the top players the Jets should avoid in free agency. The most noteworthy stud that appeared on the list was Washington Commander guard Brandon Scherff.
The former Iowa product originally entered the league as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. Since entering the league Scherff has quickly become one of the best interior offensive linemen in all of football.
While immensely talented, the big man has a lot of warts that Rill argued the Jets should try to steer clear from.
They say the best ability is availability and if that is really true then Scherff is lacking in one key area.
Over the last five years, he has missed 24 games due to an array of injuries. The last time he played in a full season was in 2016, back during Scherff’s second year in the NFL.
When you combine his questionable injury history with the likely price tag it’ll cost, this seems like a recipe for a potential Jets free agent disaster.
A Troubling Track Record
The resume for Scherff is unquestionably impressive, but it comes at a cost.
Over the last two years, the Commanders have slapped the franchise tag on the talented offensive lineman paying him over $33 million.
Heading into the offseason he will have his first chance at unrestricted free agency which could open up even more money from other NFL teams.
Spotrac’s market value (a projection of what a player could command in free agency) says Scherff will sign a deal that pays him north of $12.9 million per season on a multi-year deal. That figure would rank sixth-best among the highest-paid guards in the NFL.
The Jets would be better served to split that money up and attack multiple free agents as opposed to putting all their eggs in a single basket.
Adding Scherff would make the Gang Green offensive line better, but the front office has to maintain the short and long-term goals of the organization.
On paper, the Jets have four starters in the trenches with the biggest remaining hole coming at right guard. With ample cap space and draft picks, the green and white can afford to be picky with who that ends up becoming this offseason.
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Jets Instructed to Avoid $38 Million, 5-Time Pro Bowl OL in Free Agency