Jets’ Joe Douglas Built Crisis At Offensive Tackle
It is only week one and New York already has a crisis on their hands.
That crisis is at offensive tackle and this will be the storyline of the 2022 Jets.
It is the very topic I have been screaming about from my keyboard dating back to January 11. That is when I began urging Jets' General Manager Joe Douglas to draft N.C. State left tackle Ikem Ekwonu (who is listed as a starter on the Panthers’ official team depth chart).
I have since written 19 subsequent articles touching on the Jets situation at offensive tackle.
How did Douglas respond?
Pass the beans...
Now, his nonchalant attitude will come to fruition in what promises to be a make-it or break-it year for him at the helm in New York.
Douglas spent so much improving the color of the walls, redoing the kitchen, putting in new light fixtures and installing new flooring, without much real thought about the foundation of the house.
That foundation in football lingo is the offensive line.
Yes, he did drop $40 million to bring in left guard Laken Tomlinson (who grades out as a better run blocker than a pass protector), and he drafted right tackle Max Mitchell (fourth round) who graded out as a C- in pass protection.
Mitchell draws the start Sunday and he will face six-time Ravens' Pro Bowl pass rusher Calais Campbell, who has logged 93.5 career sacks.
Welcome to the NFL kid.
READ: Jets 'Very Confident' in Duane Brown's Replacement Against Ravens
Douglas just sat back this offseason and bet the farm on offensive tackle Mekhi Becton.
That was his initial first-round pick in the 2020 draft.
Even after Becton missed 15 games last season, underwent offseason knee surgery, and despite all the reports concerning Becton's weight and conditioning, Douglas still pushed up his chips.
That backfired and it backfired fast.
Becton went down with an injury in training camp, and he will miss another season.
Douglas 'sort of' bet on offensive tackle George Fant, who was coming off his best season, but not really. I say 'sort of' because Douglas never gave Fant the contract extension he wanted.
Fant started camp at LT, but when Becton went down, Fant was moved to RT to make room for LT Duane Brown.
Duane who?
Instead of giving Fant the extension, Douglas went out and signed offensive tackle Duane Brown, who had been playing in Seattle. However, he was still a free agent after training camp had started.
Douglas signed Brown in August.
Granted, Brown is a five-time Pro Bowler himself, but that was then, and this is now.
Anyone who knows anything about NFL scouting knows there are no quality offensive tackles still on the market come training camp.
Apparently, Douglas didn't know that?
Douglas signed Brown to a two-year $22 million dollar deal ($7.88 million dollar signing bonus).
The plot thickens...
Brown was recently injured in practice and got placed on injured reserve (IR), meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the season.
I advised the Jets not to sign Brown before Douglas signed him.
Now, the Jets have to eat crow and move Fant back to LT while offering him vain compliments.
Fant has admitted he is "frustrated."
What else did Douglas do to manage this mess at offensive tackle this off-season?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot.
Douglas brought in offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch on August 4. The Jets were his ninth NFL team since 2016. Benenoch has since been cut. Douglas additionally signed offensive lineman Chris Glaser that same day. Glaser got cut, but is back on the team's practice squad.
Where does that leave the Jets?
It leaves the Jets in serious trouble.
Becton and Brown are on IR, a frustrated Fant, who has been nursing a bum knee of his own all pre-season starts at LT, rookie Mitchell starts at RT, and the only reserve offensive tackle listed on the team's official depth chart is Conor McDermott. New York also elevated Grant Hermanns from the practice squad before Sunday's game.
That's the same McDermott that got cut August 25, but had to be re-signed because Douglas needs bodies at this point.
The Jets' schedule is littered with elite pass rushers.
Former Jets' RT Morgan Moses, who Douglas failed to re-sign this past off-season, signed with the Ravens (three-years, $15 million) and he is starting for them.
Did I mention Douglas has decided to start the most immobile quarterback on his roster, 37-year old Joe Flacco?
It's going to be "One Mississippi..."
I have never seen a more perfect recipe for disaster.
MORE:
- How the Jets Are Preparing to Stop Lamar Jackson
- Jets' Duane Brown Out For Much More Than Just Week 1
- Max Mitchell Oozing Confidence Ahead of NFL Debut, Starting in Week 1
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