Jets 'Very Confident' in Duane Brown's Replacement Against Ravens
Duane Brown is out on Sunday in Week 1 against the Ravens, per Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
Brown, 37, was meant to replace an injured Mekhi Becton on the offensive line, slotting in as New York's left tackle this season. Now, he won't be available in the season opener and might land on injured reserve as well.
"There's a possibility it could be IR but there's a lot of information that's going to come out here in the next 24 hours," Saleh told reporters on Friday morning.
Saleh added that Brown got hurt during practice on Monday. He didn't want to get into the specifics.
With Brown out of the picture, the Jets are moving George Fant back to left tackle—where he played in place of Becton last year—opening up the right tackle spot for rookie Max Mitchell, who will be making his NFL debut.
It's a tall order for Mitchell, but Saleh made it clear that he's up for the challenge. The head coach believes the young lineman can benefit from this type of introduction to the NFL as well.
"Max is much further along than we thought he’d be at this point," Saleh said. "So we’re very confident that he’ll be able to step in and do his job. We think his acceleration is going to go even faster, because there’s nothing like getting reps in the NFL and getting baptized early in your career. So we have a lot of faith in him. He's a fantastic athlete, he's very smart. He's just got to learn the nuances of the NFL game and the game within a game when it comes to the run game and pass game and all the different things that are asked in a one-on-one battle with a defensive lineman. Really excited about where he's at and really excited about where he's going to go because he's going to be a really good football player."
MORE:
- Jets' Concerning Situation at Offensive Tackle Could've Been Avoided
- Jets' Duane Brown Could Miss Opener Against Ravens With Shoulder Injury
- Robert Saleh: Facing Lamar Jackson Is 'Ultimate Challenge'
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