Getty New York Jets left tackle Duane Brown reacting after a big play during an NFL game.
The New York Jets have ruled out veteran offensive tackle Duane Brown ahead of the Week 3 matchup versus the New England Patriots.
Gang Green announced the decision via their social media portals on Saturday September 23.
Brown Being Ruled out Caught Jets Fans by Surprise
Rich Cimini of ESPN said Brown was ruled out due to injury. He had been dealing with an ailing shoulder and a new hip injury this week.
The #Jets have downgraded LT Duane Brown (hip, shoulder) to OUT. Yesterday, Saleh said he was confident Brown would play despite not practicing, while noting that Brown was scheduled for a hip evaluation yesterday.
When head coach Robert Saleh spoke to the media on Friday September 22, he indicated that Brown should be good to go for Sunday’s game against New England.
He hadn’t practiced all week, but Saleh felt confident that a player of his caliber with all of his experience wouldn’t need it to play in the game in Week 3.
Brown had offseason surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff and didn’t return to practice until very late in August. Despite that, Brown was penciled in as the starting left tackle.
The former Virginia Tech product just turned 38 years of age last month and is entering the final year of his $20 million contract in 2023.
What Is New Plan for Jets on the O-Line?
With Brown out of the starting lineup, the Jets have a decision to make in the trenches.
Do they simply replace Brown with another option at left tackle and leave everything else the same? Or do they completely blow up the starting lineup and start rearranging pieces all over the place?
That was the question Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic openly asked on X previously Twitter:
“Will be curious to see if Jets keep Mekhi Becton at RT [right tackle] and start Billy Turner or change things up completely.”
OT Duane Brown was downgraded to OUT.
Will be curious to see if #Jets keep Mekhi Becton at RT and start Billy Turner or change things up completely.
Saleh and Keith Carter indicated they wouldn’t move Becton.
If you’re to believe coach Saleh, Becton will be staying exactly where he has been practicing at right tackle.
He told the media on Friday September 22 that it would be “irresponsible” to flip him to another position last second.
When asked if he would be willing to play musical chairs by shifting multiple players to different positions on the line, Saleh once again said that decision would be “irresponsible.”
If you take the coach at his word, then it is likely Billy Turner or Max Mitchell who would get the call on Sunday versus the Patriots at the left tackle position.
Both players rotated with the starters throughout training camp while Brown was rehabbing from his surgery. Ultimately both players lost out on a starting gig with Brown returning to the lineup before the season and Becton making a last second push to claim the starting right tackle gig.
Turner appeared in eight games and made seven starts in the trenches for the Denver Broncos in 2022. Mitchell as a rookie appeared in six games and made five starts due to a rash of injuries in the offensive line room.
The good news is both players have some level of experience. The bad news is neither player stood out in a positive way from an analytics perspective during their time on the football field.
Here are the Pro Football Focus grades for Mitchell in 2022:
- 55.5 overall
- 53.8 pass block
- 52.7 run block
Here are the PFF grades for Turner in 2022:
- 56.3 overall
- 50.7 pass block
- 57.3 run block