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Every year New York Jets fans fall in love with a player on the roster who isn’t normally in the spotlight but for one reason or another connects with the fanbase.
The player becomes a story we all root for throughout the summer as we hope they make the team and can hopefully make an impact at the next level.
Well, one player that Jets fans were rooting hard for might not be on the roster for much longer.
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From Draft Hopeful to the Streets
Connor Hughes of The Athletic was recently asked in a mailbag about the inside scoop on offensive lineman Cameron Clark.
The former fourth-round draft choice suffered a scary neck injury during training camp and missed the entire 2021 season.
Now heading into a pivotal third-year fans have been wondering out loud if he has a chance to be a key contributor in 2022?
Hughes was blunt in his assessment saying, “I wouldn’t factor him into any long-term plans” with the team.
Despite an opening in the starting lineup last season and a cult-like fan interest in his success, the Jets “never really considered him an option to start” per Hughes.
Now it appears “he’ll face an uphill battle” just to make the roster next season, let alone trying to make an impact on the field.
Questions Still Remain in the Trenches
If Clark isn’t the answer, which would mean another failed draft pick from Joe Douglas’ 2020 class, then they’ll have to look elsewhere to solve the hole at right guard.
The 24-year-old initially entered the league as the No. 129 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Despite some intriguing upside, the youngster has yet to register a meaningful statistic in his two seasons with the team.
It appears his days are numbered on the roster and the Jets will have to explore all options. One that the team turned down last year that they could revisit is shifting center Connor McGovern to right guard.
He has some prior experience from his days with the Denver Broncos and in essence, you could hit two birds with one stone this offseason. By drafting or signing a natural center you could fill two holes at the same time.
The Jets had that same opportunity last year and turned it down because Douglas believed in McGovern’s upside. While he had a very decent season in 2021, you can never get complacent when trying to put the best five offensive linemen on the football field.
ESPN recently released their top 50 free agents for the 2022 new league year and nine interior offensive linemen cracked the list. That presents a lot of opportunities for the Jets to fill the biggest remaining hole in the trenches.
If they’re able to put together a competent offensive line heading into next season that should be able to help take this offense to another level.
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