The New York Jets continue to wait for the return of veteran offensive tackle Duane Brown.
The 37-year-old, soon to be 38 year old, had offseason shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff. Head coach Robert Saleh confirmed he is still “rehabbing” from that surgery.
Saleh said, “I think he is a couple of weeks out” from returning to the football field. The “Around the NFL” staff shared that Brown is still “two weeks away from getting off of PUP and practicing.”
“Well he is still rehabbing, would love him out there right now but it is a plus that he has so much experience in this league,” Saleh said on Saturday, August 5. “He is one of the few in the league when you have that much experience you can play without practice. He is going through a lot of individuals on the side and he’s still getting a lot of work in. I’m not worried about whether or not he’ll be ready to play once he gets here.”
Brown Is Running out of Time
The Jets are less than five weeks away from the season-opening contest versus the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football on September 11.
Brown is still two weeks away from getting pulled off of the physically unable-to-perform list just to start practicing for the first time this offseason.
The former Virginia Tech product is heading into year No. 16 and has plenty of experience himself. However, the real problem is the chemistry with the rest of the offensive line.
There is no elixir that can make up for the lack of reps, the only way to get those is by getting in the trenches and doing the work.
Brown is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning. The Jets are putting all of their eggs in an old man’s basket to protect the blindside of a similarly aged man.
Aaron Rodgers is 39 and he will turn 40 before the end of the 2023 campaign. The biggest question mark with the Jets is their ability, or lack thereof, in protecting Rodgers this season from an offensive line perspective.
Jets’ Offensive Tackle Situation Presents a Scary Situation to Consider
If Brown is at all compromised or unavailable to start the season, things could go south pretty quickly for Gang Green.
He has been the penciled-in wink-wink starter at left tackle since he decided to return to the Jets for the final year of his $20 million contract.
That is a dangerous game to play when you consider his age and the fact that he is coming off of very serious offseason surgery.
That would leave the Jets with Billy Turner and Max Mitchell as the starting offensive tackles if the season were to start today.
Turner is coming off of a rough year with the Denver Broncos in 2022. Pro Football Focus graded him with a 56.3 overall, a 50.7 pass block, and a 57.3 run block.
According to those same metrics, Mitchell also had some lapses with the Jets last season. PFF graded him with a 55.5 overall, a 53.8 pass block, and a 52.7 run block.
The only other hope the Jets are clutching onto is the health and return of former first-rounder Mekhi Becton. He has been operating with the backups throughout training camp but showed some promise in limited action against the Cleveland Browns in the preseason opener.
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Robert Saleh Provides Concerning Injury Update on Key Jets Starter