The One Trade the Jets Must Explore This Offseason

This former NFL scout thinks the Jets need to add to their depth on the offensive line, bracing for possible injuries at the tackle positions.

The offensive line is the least glamorous unit on a team.

However, this is where the game is determined.

It is for this reason, Jets’ General Manager Joe Douglas needs to trade for an experienced swing tackle.

A swing tackle is a tackle who has shown the ability to play on either the left or the right side of the offensive line.

The departure of veteran tackle Morgan Moses has left a huge void on New York’s roster.

It leaves New York with two starting tackles, George Fant and Mekhi Becton, both coming off knee surgeries. Behind them there is no premium talent and little to no experience.

The upcoming season could literally come undone if Fant and/or Becton go down.

Douglas must address this.

There are a number of tackles still on the remaining available free agent list. That’s not however, what I am talking about.

I am not talking about signing a fringe free agent who is barely hanging on.

Offensive tackles the Jets can win with must be able to dance like 350-pound ballerinas on the edge of the pocket.

New York’s pro scouting department needs to evaluate every back-up left and right tackle in the league. They need to determine who is the best of the best off that list, pick up the phone and start making offers.

Quarterback Zach Wilson’s future in the NFL could very well depend on it.

Why?

Wilson was the third-most sacked QB last season and he suffered a knee injury as a result of getting beat up. Now, he is scheduled to play a laundry list of elite pass rushers, and his health could be in serious jeopardy.

If Fant and/or Becton can’t start because of injury or some other unforeseen reason, it could quickly become a disastrous situation for this offense.

My hope is the Jets do not repeat the same mistake they made after my first year in the league, when I worked in pro scouting. I told anyone who would listen we needed a quality back-up QB behind Vinny Testaverde.

Nobody listened.

Management at the time decided to acquire QB’s Rick Mirer and Scott Zolak instead. I looked Mirer in the eyes passing in the hallway and he looked like a deer in headlights. I evaluated Zolak on film and he was possibly the worst QB I had ever evaluated.

Sure enough, Testaverde went down on opening day and the 1999 season went up in smoke.

The time to act is now.

There still is time for a new player to come in and comfortably learn the playbook.

The price tag will also be lower now than it will be down the road, when New York is desperate.

It makes no sense to me how comfortable Douglas seems to be with Fant and Becton penciled into the starting lineup.

READ: The Entire 2022 Jets Season Depends on This

The Becton situation is the most confusing of the two (by far).

While relying on two offensive tackles coming off knee surgeries is a huge leap of faith, depending on Becton is a mind-blowing management decision.

Not only hasn’t Becton been able to stay healthy (missing 18/33 games), but he ballooned up to 400 pounds during rehab according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Becton additionally skipped voluntarily workouts, has taken to social media with fans and even changed his Twitter name to “Big Bust.”

In late April an article (on jetsxfactor.com) surfaced where draft insider Dane Brugler of The Athletic stated, “I don’t think we talk enough about Mekhi Becton. There are plenty of people around the league who believe he’ll never put on a Jets jersey again. They think that ship has sailed.”

If these aren’t warning signs, I don’t know what is?

Douglas’s response to all of these check roster lights going off all over his dashboard - - was not to sign a free agent tackle, pass on all the consensus top tackles on the draft, and to casually then select tackle Max Mitchell in the fourth-round.

While nobody knows how Mitchell will pan out, the NFL generally doesn’t make a living leaving great pass protecting tackles on the board until the fourth-round.

The Jets need to make a deal for a proven swing tackle, who can step in and help seal off the edge before it’s too late.

Whatever the cost in draft capital and cap space might be, the cost will likely prove much higher if this is not addressed. 

MORE:

• Should the Jets Draft Bryce Young Next Year?
• Has Jets GM Joe Douglas Built a Last Place Team?
• Jets' Zach Wilson More 'Thick' After Bulking Up This Offseason

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