Douglas hoping to find ‘stability and continuity’ on O-line
INDIANAPOLIS — As free agency and the NFL Draft looms, the Jets continue to have question marks at both line tackle positions along their offensive line.
Not only did 11 different starters play on the Jets’ offensive line in 2022, but the team dealt with injuries at both left and right tackle. Also, right tackle George Fant is hitting free agency after an injury-ridden year, left tackle Duane Brown will be 38 years old, and Alijah Vera-Tucker, who played both at left and right tackle as well as at right guard, is returning from a triceps injury.
This doesn’t include Max Mitchell, who is expected to return from a blood clot condition in his right calf that prematurely ended his season.
Next to finding a veteran quarterback, the offensive line is the most important area of need for the Jets after allowing 42 sacks on the year. During his availability at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, Jets general manager Joe Douglas stressed the importance of finding a solution at both tackle spots.
“That’s definitely a position where we’d like to create some more stability and continuity, especially with the injuries we sustained last year, so Duane’s under contract, Max Mitchell’s coming back,” Douglas said. “Max is doing great, another player that’s recovering.
“He’s doing great and Mekhi (Becton) is doing great. So, you know, feel good about those three guys coming back. Duane, he just had a procedure on his shoulder, he’s recovering well, but again, you know, as I’ve said before, O-line, D-line are going to be a high priority for us always and so if there’s an opportunity to upgrade tackle, center, guard, d-tackle, d-end, we’re always going to look at doing that.”
The Jets thought they had found their left tackle of the future in Becton after selecting him 11th overall in the 2020 draft. After a strong rookie season where he allowed four sacks, injuries have plagued Becton for the last couple of years.
In the 2021 opener against the Panthers, Becton injured his right knee and was carted off the field. After initially saying it wasn’t a season-ending injury, Becton missed the rest of the year because of the injury.
Then during training camp last August, Becton injured the same knee during practice and missed the entire 2022 campaign. In total, Becton has played only 15 games in three seasons.
Weight has also been a major issue for Becton, as he reportedly ballooned to over 400 pounds last year. But since his second knee injury, Becton has lost a ton of weight while rehabbing as he looks to be in the best shape since he was drafted three years ago.
Becton knows this is his last chance to make a lasting impression on the Jets organization, as they will need to exercise or decline his fifth-year option by May 1. If the Jets decline it, 2023 will be the final year of his rookie contract.
With the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft, the Jets could draft Becton’s replacement as they could target Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, or Georgia’s Broderick Jones.
“We don’t have to make a decision on the fifth-year option until after the Draft, so we’re not ready to announce any decision on that,” Douglas said.
“In terms of Mekhi being able to be a starter, I think, for any of you guys who were here in the 2020 season, you saw what a healthy Mekhi can do on the football field and how dominant a player that he was as a rookie, early in his rookie year, and, unfortunately, the last few years had been frustrating from an injury standpoint, but I can tell you that Mekhi is in as good of a place now as I’ve seen him in a long time, and he’s working his tail off, and he wants to be the best player that he can be for the New York Jets.”
Following Becton’s injury last August, the Jets signed Brown, who was a five-time Pro Bowl and two-time All-Pro to play left tackle. But he also dealt with an injury the entire season.
Brown was placed on injured reserve and missed the first four games of last season because of a shoulder injury. He played 12 games despite needing surgery on the shoulder the entire year.
Brown will turn 38 in August and is under contract for over $11 million. There was some thought Brown could retire, or the Jets could cut him after having off-season surgery on his shoulder, but Douglas said the two hadn’t had those discussions yet.
“I don’t think Coach has had those discussions with Duane yet, but obviously, for him to do what he did last year to play with the injury that he played with, which I don’t think we could find a documented tackle that played with the injury that he had for an entire year,” Douglas said.
“It’s a special thing and I know we hold him in very high regard as a person and a player, so you know, let him recover a little bit. We’ll have those discussions as the offseason progresses.”