Almost two years ago, Joe Douglas said he would get as many good offensive linemen as he could before his first draft as Jets general manager. Douglas has signed, drafted or traded for 15 offensive linemen since the Jets hired him before the 2019 season.
But those moves haven’t completely fixed New York’s offensive line. The unit made strides in 2021, but there is still work to be done and decisions to be made. The biggest: Robert Saleh said Mekhi Becton and George Fant will compete for the starting left tackle job.
The Becton-Fant competition suggests the Jets aren’t completely satisfied with their five starters. While the unit slowly improved over the course of the season, New York still finished with the 22nd-ranked offensive line DVOA, per Football Outsiders, the fourth-highest adjusted sack rate, and the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game.
None of those numbers indicate an offensive line good enough to compete with the best defenses in the NFL.
Two of Douglas’ best moves this past year were to sign OT Morgan Moses and trade for OG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. At the very least, both players provided veteran insurance policies. That’s exactly what Moses was when Fant switched to left tackle following Becton’s knee injury. Duvernay-Tardif, meanwhile, quickly supplanted starting right guard Greg Van Roten and upgraded the position.
Douglas needs to emulate those moves across the entire offensive line this offseason. Becton and Fant will duke it out for the left tackle job, and the loser will likely compete or take the starting right tackle job. But there are major question marks on the right side, especially if the Jets don’t re-sign Moses and/or Duvernay-Tardif. There are no quality backups at left guard behind Alijah Vera-Tucker or at center behind Connor McGovern.
The Jets would be wise to explore all options at those positions in free agency, the draft and the trade market.
Washington RG Brandon Scherff will likely be the best starting offensive linemen available in free agency and would immediately fit a need for the Jets. Patriots RT Trent Brown is another great option.
Scherff and Brown would be expensive, so the Jets may stick with aging veterans like Duvernay-Tardif or Moses, or perhaps use one of their five top-70 picks on a guard or tackle. There are a few great options the Jets could target, including OT Evan Neal, IOL Ikem Ekwonu, C Tyler Linderbaum, IOL Kenyon Green and IOL Zion Johnson.
Whatever path Douglas and Saleh take, they cannot be content with the current depth chart heading into 2022. The Jets are reaching a critical moment in the Douglas-Saleh reign, and they require an outstanding offensive line to bolster the rebuilding efforts.
