2017 NFL Free Agency: 5 offensive line targets for the Jets By: Tyler Calvaruso | 11 hours ago The Jets may have been able to make the best of what was essentially a patchwork offensive line in 2016 due to injuries, but there are upgrades that could be made on various parts of the line. While the Jets seem content with the recently locked up Brian Winters and James Carpenter playing the two guard spots, Ryan Clady and Breno Giacomini have dealt with injury problems and are likely to be cap casualties this offseason. The same could apply to fan favorite Nick Mangold. Expect youngsters like Wesley Johnson and Brandon Shell to get some opportunities for New York in 2017. That being said, there will still be holes to fill.here are five offensive linemen that are hitting free agency that the Jets should take a look at. Here are five offensive linemen that are hitting free agency that the Jets should take a look at. RICKY WAGNER With not many top-level linemen hitting the market this year, re-signing Wagner will most likely be the Ravens’ top priority this offseason. However, if he does hit free agency, he will be the best offensive lineman on the open market and will be targeted by many teams in need of a top-tier tackle. The Jets should be one of the teams in the mix for his services. RILEY REIFF A first-round pick by the Detroit Lions back in 2012, Reiff’s rookie deal is up. The Iowa product has displayed versatility during his time in the NFL, starting out as a left tackle before moving over to the right side. He has been a much better player at right tackle as opposed to left tackle, but his versatility gives him an extra bargaining chip when it comes down to contract negotiations. Due to his youth and willingness to play on both sides of the line, the Jets should be all over Reiff when the time comes. MATT KALIL Matt Kalil has been a disappointment so far to say the least. The former No. 3 overall pick has not played well to start his career with the Vikings, but he still has loads of potential. Kalil was drafted as high as he was for a reason and just because he hasn’t been able to put it together in Minnesota doesn’t mean he is a lost cause. All he might need is a change of scenery to get it together, and the Jets could be a potential landing spot for the former USC Trojan. MIKE REMMERS Remmers fought and won a position battle during training camp in 2016 and he could be in line to do the same thing in New York if he chooses to leave the Carolina Panthers. Remmers started the season as the Panthers starting left tackle and moved over to the right side when Michael Oher went down for the season with a concussion. Remmers would serve as a nice depth signing for the Jets with potentially the chance to compete for a starting job in training camp J.C. TRETTER With the Jets expressing a desire to go younger on both sides of the ball and Mangold getting up there in age, his days as a Jet could be coming to an end. If the team does not view Johnson as a potential long-term answer at center, expect J.C. Tretter to be a free agent target. Tretter, 25, is one of the better centers in football and whoever signs him will be getting his prime years. Mangold’s future remains up in the air and the team seems to like Johnson to replace Mangold, but Tretter could be an excellent alternative moving forward.
I thought it was a bad free agency for OL this year but as you stated there are young decent starter options.
Any of them would be fine. Pick the safest bet to come here..and move on. UFA-Carpenter-Johnson-Winters-Shell Doozier-Quinn This wouldn't be a horrible group to have going into the draft. And likely would remove any handcuff of having to reach on an OT early.Obviously Johnson can be upgraded & Shell is no sure thing..but concentrating on improving depth is always better than having to find front line players. This could be the key to the whole offseason. Find the starting LT,settle on the depth chart so we don't have to rebuild the entire unit with our draft ammo.
All of these guys are going to be very expensive on the open market. None of them is a franchise LT to justify the cost.
If ever there was a position to overpay at...it's gotta be LT...when you factor in the Jets current roster & the upcoming draft class w. no positional value till maybe around picks 8-10..I think I'd rather overspend to solidify the front 5..than overspend elsewhere & hope to strike O-line gold in the draft. I guess the alternative is to just pass all together & hope the shopping aisle is more fruitful next year...but..really..does anyone wanna see Ben Ijalana protecting the blindside again??
The problem is that when you sign a younger free agent to play LT you generally get somebody who was deemed expendable by their team for various reasons. Sometimes you get a topflight tackle but those guys are all early 30's and they have a short shelf life. The only real answer is to draft your LT. It's part of the cost of building a good NFL offense. If you buy the free agent at top dollar but he's not worth it everybody in the locker room looks at you differently come contract time. They know you pay top dollar for average talent because they've seen you do it to fill holes. It's not too far from there to demanding that you pay top dollar or risk creating a hole, even if the player in question is just good and not great. The Jets cap profile has been mostly the same for 16 years now. Decent to good players, many of them imports, paid like they were a step better than they are and then poor depth as players leave for the open market if they sense the Jets are not giving them 100% of the possible maximum they could earn.
Maybe we take the "wait till next year" approach then. Unless the plan is to trade down a few spots and take the LT.. Cam Robinson & Roderick Johnson are good OT prospects..but a far cry from top 5 or 6 picks. It's also not as if they are the final piece of our offense. Basically the offense cannot be much worse but for a so-so OL core & the young WR's. One way or another..the talent on O must be upgraded, Maybe LT & QB aren't options at 6..but WR/RB/TE will be. Additionally...we can look for OL help in later rounds.Shaping up that FA will be more about Defense. Namely the pass D. Need at least 2 DBs(1 corner,1 safety) & as always...an edge rusher. Hopefully that means the draft will be about offense..and at least early...skill.
Trade down and take a tackle. That's what makes the most sense now. After the combine some people will rise up boards, which mostly they shouldn't, and the common wisdom may have to change some based on that. TE is a 2nd/3rd round position at this point. You can get a Gronk or Kelce there fairly often. TE may be the single position most likely to hit the NFL running and be a big star and the guys who do that are often 2nd or 3rd round picks. This is just an opinion but I think the right rounds to first consider taking various positions in goes something like this: 1st - QB, LT, WR, RDE (speed rusher), RT, 3T, ROLB (speed rusher), CB, SS, MLB 2nd - QB in the first 4 picks of the round, LDE, TE, LG, FS 3rd - RB, RG, NT, LOLB, ILB, Slash/3rd Down Backs 4th - Backup QB, Return Specialists, 5th, 6th and 7th - Backups, Non-kicking Special Teamers and Projects 7th - Punters and Kickers Exceptional players break the rules, but they have to be clearly exceptional to do that.
Or Chandler Jones. Or Ingram. Or Hightower. We can get both Ingram and Reiff this offseason but maybe it's a pipe dream
J.C. Tretter is a young solid safety. I really liked this kid when he was coming out of Cornell. Problem is, the guy has been hurt often. Not "Dee Milliner often", ---- but enough for me to look elsewhere.
No they weren't. That IS too high to take an OG. I don't care how good he is. That's wasting valuable cap space and a valuable draft pick on a non-premium position.
No, it wouldn't, not in this draft. There just isn't the OT talent in this draft that there are in other drafts.
I remember them too. And it was a large majority. But all we did in 2012 was focus instead on the position & the measurables. We didn't even glance at the players themselves. To think that the player, selected 16th overall, currently 26yrs old --- is completely out of football after being waived from 3 different teams is absolutely mind boggling to me. And our organization seems to find this commonality more often than most teams. Hopefully that track record stays in the past.
