The New York Jets have had a lot of issues upfront early on in 2021.
Zach Wilson has been battered, beaten, and bruised throughout the first three weeks of the NFL campaign. The running game has been unable to find consistent holes to run through.
In any normal situation, it would be nearly impossible to try and find a capable replacement at the end of September, but a unique situation has presented itself.
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A Phenomenal Option Is Now Available
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport shared a very interesting nugget on Tuesday evening. Free-agent guard, Forrest Lamp, is now “fully vaccinated” and fully healthy after battling a minor calf issue back during training camp.
Both of those are huge factors and should heavily increase interest for several offensive line needy teams like the green and white.
NFL players who aren’t vaccinated have to go through an extensive amount of extra work and restrictions. While that isn’t supposed to be a factor in whether or not a player is on a roster, it most certainly is.
While on the other side of the coin, Lamp is now fully healthy after battling some injury issues this offseason when he was spending time with the Buffalo Bills.
The 27-year-old offensive lineman was originally the No. 38 overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft. He was the first guard selected in that class and was widely considered one of the best offensive linemen in that draft.
Over the last three years, he has played in 25 games, including all 16 last season for the LA Chargers.
A Perfect Solution for an Imperfect Problem
Jets starting right guard Greg Van Roten rubbed a lot of people the wrong way following the Week 3 tilt vs the Denver Broncos.
During his postgame comments, he seemingly threw his rookie quarterback Zach Wilson under the bus.
This seems pretty ironic considering GVR has been one of the worst-ranked offensive linemen in the NFL.
After that presser every Jets fan wanted the team to replace the veteran offensive lineman, but as we all know, that’s easier said than done in the middle of an NFL season.
At the time it seemed unrealistic, but with this news, it might be worth it for the green and white to make a move.
Lamp’s NFL career has been mired by injuries: 2017 (torn ACL), 2018 (knee surgery), 2019 (broken fibula), but in 2020 he was finally healthy and delivered a full 16-for-16 performance.
Coming out of college his pro player comparison was Zach Martin, the best guard in all of football. That speaks to his insane ceiling based on his talent level.
During his time at the college level, he had experience at both right guard and left tackle. That kind of versatility would be great for a Jets team that has battled injuries in the trenches.
With the green and white, he could be a plug-and-play starter at right guard.
Not often can you add a piece in the middle of your season that can contribute, especially when you’re talking about the trenches, but that’s exactly what Lamp can do for Gang Green.
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Former Top Ranked NFL Guard Should Be on Jets Radar