Ex-Jets Scout Predicts New York Will Allow Team Sack Record in 2022
245.5 sacks.
That is the total number of sacks the top two sack artists produced last season from each of the Jets’ upcoming opponents.
“Coming in hot,” is a popular saying that comes to mind.
The Jets are drawing a slew of elite pass rushers in 2022.
New York will face the likes of Myles Garrett (CLV), Trey Hendrickson (CIN), T.J. Watt (PIT), Matthew Judon (NE), Robert Quinn (CHI), Von Miller (BUF) and Danielle Hunter (MIN).
Don’t forget they will also go up against two first-round draft choices Aidan Hutchinson (DET) and Travon Walker (JAX), who accounted for another combined 20 sacks last season in college.
The biggest part of this challenge is the offensive line Jets’ General Manager Joe Douglas has assembled.
Neither Duane Brown or George Fant (who are the two starting offensive tackles) have good enough lateral foot speed to match up against top pass rushers, nor do they great ability to recover when they are getting beat.
That alone is a recipe for disaster to have two starting tackles who got a C- for a grade.
Sure, both give the effort to recover, and sometimes that’s enough….
While sometimes it’s not.
Brown and Fant are like identical twins on game film. Starting them at left and right tackle respectively will be a nightmare for the Jets, and a dream for theIr opponents.
None of the backups are any better.
When looking at the list of pass rushers the Jets will face, and how Douglas has built and shaped the tackle position on the roster (starters and reserves), it is terrifying.
It’s like using styrofoam as the foundation for a house.
Look for the Jets to break a new club record for sacks given up this season.
The old record was set back in 1987 when New York gave up 66 sacks.
That will be a piece of cake for this unit to break.
As it is, this unit is coming off a season last year where they gave up 53 sacks, which was the most since 2007.
Three of the five starting offensive linemen from that pass protection meltdown are returning to the lineup (Connor McGovern, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Fant).
New addition starting left guard Laken Tomlinson is better at run blocking than pass protection. This showed in the NFC Championship Game when he spent too much time getting driven back into the quarterback’s face, when he played for San Francisco.
Tomlinson also struggles against stunts in passing situations.
Further compounding the issue is Fant makes a better left than a right tackle, but he will be starting at right tackle this season.
There is no question, this offensive line Douglas has built is the weakest link on the Jets.
This should not come as a shock however, since Douglas has only spent 4/25 draft picks on the offensive line since he’s been in New York.
The lack of pass protecting fruit really shows up when looking at the high number of sacks Douglas’ offensive lines have surrendered during his tenure.
2019: 52 sacks
2020: 43 sacks
2021: 53 sacks
That adds up to 148 sacks (average of 49.3 sacks per season).
That is not getting it done, nor will it.
It has only produced 13 combined wins in these three seasons.
It hasn’t helped that Douglas’ legacy pick (his initial first-round pick) was offensive tackle, Mekhi Becton.
Becton is about to miss another season after missing all but one game last season, after getting injured on opening day.
In that same 2020 draft, Douglas selected offensive tackle, Cameron Clark in the fourth-round. However, his career was cut short due to an unexpected spinal cord injury in camp, that kept him from ever seeing action in a regular season game.
The only viable offensive line starter Douglas has been able to bring in through the draft has been Vera-Tucker.
In this past draft, Douglas selected offensive tackle Max Mitchell, who is listed on the team’s official depth chart as Fant’s back-up.
It is no wonder the Jets’ offensive line has been one of the top 10 worst pass protecting units every year since Douglas was hired (two of those years they finished as top five worst).
It all starts upfront, and looking at this list of pass rushers and looking at the Jets’ offensive line, this will be one for the ages.
MORE:
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- What to Watch For in Jets-Falcons Preseason Game
- Predicting Jets 53-Man Roster With Two Weeks Until Final Cuts
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