Not to mention AVT who has missed major parts of the past two seasons. Sure he's young, but so far has proven to be injury prone. I fully agree, the first pick, whether at #10 or back a bit has to be a stud T.
I'm intrigued by Troy Fautanu from Washington. Has OT and IOL potential. I'd be excited about him in the 1st. Maybe this can finally be the year we trade down in the 1st. Picking up another 3rd would be so huge
Agreed. Just because JD actually finally did something good on OL this year instead of doing absolutely nothing last year doesn't mean the work is done. But I think he knows Smith is likely to get injured, which is why he only guaranteed 6.5 mil. Now this same exact mentality needs to be applied not just to financials but also to actual roster. Assume Smith gives us 10-13 games and maybe play-offs. Now that is 10-13 games more of non shit (and actually great) LT play than we got last year and is a massive step forward from last year that cannot be underestimated. But what about the other 4-7 games? What about the other side, where Moses is also older and missed 3 games last year, and will probably miss more this year. More likely than not our top OT back-up will end up playing 10 games this year. Carter Warren is not the guy, he is a 3d string. He showed some flashes, but was terrible last year overall. Not unlike Max's 1st year, and he is 25 years old. 2nd year leap is not a guarantee at all to be big enough to actually make him a good player. Because the top OT back-up WILL play this year, and he will play a lot. I have absolutely no confidence Warren will do well in that role. JD cannot make a mistake of Max Mitchell last year. Which means we need another rock solid guy, ideally a young guy, since starting OTs are old. The way the roster is today, we need to draft OT in the 1st round and probably sign another serviceable veteran on the cheap. Trade back is a possibility. I could see a scenario where we trade back, say get a 3d, and then maybe use another asset to get into the mid to early 2nd or even end 1st. Then these two high picks could be used for both OT and WR. But we need to spend a high pick on OT, not a 3d rounder. Otherwise, it is the same mistake as last year.
Agree I still think OT is the best option at 10 … Alt won’t be there but maybe the Penn State kid will and I’d take him probably. A stud WR if he falls wouldn’t be a terrible option either though, but at least now with Moses and Smith, WR IS an option. As to AVT, yes he’s been hurt but I can’t help asking if it’s related to having to play tackle? I know he played it in college, but in the NFL it’s different. He didn’t get hurt his first year when he strictly played guard. Hope we can keep him at G and he can stay healthy. At least we can breathe a bit easier as our OL already looks worlds better. Not long term, so still work to be done, and I’d be happy going OT at 10 but jeez…what a difference from last year when we were counting on Becton and whomever else at RT.
I'm not criticizing the deal, it's a great one...as long as Smith plays all or most of this season (especially down the stretch and into the playoffs if we get there). And it's a move Douglas had to make, just like getting Moses back. But we now have an OL with two 33 year old Tackles, and AVT who has missed the majority of the past two seasons, so everyone who's dancing in the street ought to take a minute and reflect on that before putting Douglas back in Canton. He still should take a T with the first pick. If one of the top two are there at 10 he should take him; otherwise trade back a bit and take the next best T, and use the 2nd rounder he presumably gets in the trade back for a WR.
I would be ok taking one of the OTs at 10 or trading back a bit to recoup a second rounder and still taking an OT in the first round
Makes a lot of sense to me. We are not in position to get a developmental tackle in the 3d. It's unlikely someone like Dawand Jones (an all American) will slide again. Certainly we cannot count on that. We have two old OTs, and we need a guy who is not only the future, but also ready to play 10 games this year. It is pretty hard to get a guy like that in the 3d round. I do see a scenario where maybe due to trade backs and using extra assets we end up with two first round picks or a 1st and early second. So it may not be #10 that we will use for OT, but it does have to be a high pick, there is doubt about that. Great point! NC also point out before that AVT may not even be ready to start this season, not to mention high injury risk too. Who is starting at RG? Wes played like utter shit last year and got seriously hurt himself. Not only do we need OT, we need another good guard.
And if it's the first 70% of the season, it's not going to help us enough in all likelihood. OT at #10 should definitely be the pick, unless he can trade back a bit and still get a stud OT.
The only thing that worries me about Fautanu is that he is old. He will be 24 this year. Someone like JC Latham is 3 (!!!) years younger. Imagine the difference in potential, considering Latham was every bit as good as Fautanu in College. Olu is more than two years younger than Troy and was a better player, consensus all American. However, if we trade back and Olu and JC are gone, then I can definitely see Fautanu being a sold player in NFL who is pro ready and will help short and long term. Just not with #10 pick.
Yeah, this season OL build, with all the risks is a WORLD of a difference from last year. Smith is elite, but old at 33 now and had injuries, now imagine last year JD banked on Duane Brown to be starting LT. Duane was literally 38 to start last season: almost 5 (!!!) years older than Smith. Moreover, while Smith had some smaller injuries last year, he came back from, Duane was coming from season ending injury. Furthermore, Duane was coming off terrible year performance wise 2022. He was horrendous. Smith was All Pro. It's not even fathomable how JD just ignored OT last year. And I am not just saying this now, I said it back then too. It's just obvious to everyone right now. A 5 year younger Smith coming off All Pro year and not currently injured is a monumental upgrade over Duane 5 years older, coming off atrocious year, and dealing with serious season ending surgery. At RT JD was counting on a guy who literally hasn't play for two years, except a few snaps. Main back-ups were Billy and Max, both of whom were absolutely terrible a year before and also had season ending injuries. He also a got a 5th guy, in a trade down (not up) in the 4th, who was also coming of season ending injury. Now I know some people at that time said JD was playing chess, but it was more like this guy: This year it is a completely different story. Just need to finish the job with top OT in the draft and other moves, but it's no where near as last year so far. Better late than never as you said.
Totally agree, Craig. I want OL in round 1 even w Smith signing. Smith is injury prone, and both he and Moses are 33. If either get hurt, we got insurance. If Smith and Moses stay healthy, good for us. Also, there is nothing wrong w our new OT sitting for a year and learning from 2 great vets. As a rookie, Kareem McKenzie sat for 1 year behind Ryan Young for the jets at RT in 2000. Kareem went on to be a dominant tackle in the NFL. To bad it was w the Giants, because Birdbrain Boobway was not smart enough to resign or franchise him. McKenzie helped the Giants win those 2 super bowls. Nothing against Bowers, but we got enough TE, and Ruckert deserves more playing time.
You guys thinking this great signing changes the draft plan and logical path are getting way too far ahead of yourselves. Drafting OT with our 1 is still without question the good GM move to make here. If anything imo this signing just argues more towards the trade down opportunity if a good one is there to get another latter round pick.
How likely is he to achieve all $13.5 million in incentives? Those incentives are probably what it took for him to sign with the Jets. His base pay is only $6.5 milliion and Spotrac said that he'd get at least $7.4 million. If he was a year or two younger, and didn't have the injury history, he wouldn't have even been available, but if so, he would have cost well over $12 million per season. This is a great signing. He was the best LT available in FA. No one thought he'd sign here, including me. I'm still in a state of shock, but am ecstatic. It's restored some of my faith in JD and hope for the team for this season and going forward.
It's a deep class, but they're all projects with potential. None that are plug and play day 1 that would have given us topflight play. Would you really want a rookie 3rd round OT protecting Rodgers' blind side?
Yes, that is exactly what good GMs do. They fill needs during FA so it isn't predictable who they are likely to take and they aren't forced to take a player at a certain position to fill a glaring need. This does give him flexibility. I still think the wisest thing to do is to take an OT, preferably an LT, with our 1st round pick whether that is at #10 or following a trade down. I would absolutely love to add Nabers or Odunze or even Thomas. I think they will all be studs in the NFL, and it's exciting to think about pairing one of them with G. Wilson, but we need to think with our big head and not our little head. The Jets have no quality young OTs to step in and start when Smith goes down with injury or Moses gets hurt, and no OT on the roster who looks like they could take over a starting role next season, the unquestioned wisest move is to draft an OT with their 1st round pick. Do fans really want to see Mitchell or Warren back in the starting lineup? I sure don't. If they draft an OT with their 1st round pick, he will undoubtedly see action this season, but he will also have the opportunity to learn from two excellent OTs and accelerate his development. Remember that our OL Coach (Carter) sucks. So if we want a good young OT who is ready to start next season and play at a high level, then we need to get him now and let him learn from Smith and Moses. We don't know what next year's draft will look like, but we DO KNOW that there isn't a great OT class every draft, and that if the Jets have a very good or great season, they won't be drafting in a position where they can get one, so our OL would be taking a big step backwards next year. If JD had done a better job in the draft and FA last year or if the Jets had been luckier in terms of OL injuries, then they wouldn't be in this position. Then we could all salivate over which stud WR we'd be adding to our offense. In typical Jets' fashion, JD didn't do a better job and luck is almost never on the Jets' side. It sucks, but it is what is. The other thing to remember is how often 1st round WRs fail and wind up being busts. I think I read somewhere that the bust rate for WRs is the highest of any position in the 1st round.
"Birdbrain Boobway" ROFLMAO I LOVE it!!! Excellent point about Kareem McKenzie. I totally agree about the OT sitting and learning from 2 great vet OTs. That's even more important since our OL Coach Carter sucks and hasn't been developing anyone. If we want to have a good OL next year, then it is imperative that we draft an OT this year in round 1. I also agree that Ruckert deserves more playing time. If JD had done a better job in FA and the draft, and if the Jets hadn't had so many injury issues on the OL, and the Jets' OL coaches had done a better job of developing the players they had, the Jets wouldn't be in this position. They wouldn't be forced to take an OT in round 1. Bowers or Nabers or Odunze or Thomas wouldn't be luxury picks. But as things stand, taking one of them would totally be a luxury pick, and wouldn't help much next year when our OL once again sucked because we didn't have any good OTs.
This is a good one season band aid. I read he has to play 90% of the snaps to get the full 20 million. I also read that we were the best offer he got, so regardless of where the analysts ranked him, the league wasn't sold that he was a top FA. This is a good move for an all in year. My concern is we've done no o-line building for the future and I have no doubt we will be going WR in the draft. Good OL drafts done come around often and it will be tough to pass on one.
Yes an OT at 10 is our best option. I disagree that Fashanu will be there at #10. I think it's almost certain that both he an Alt will be gone before #10. I'd love to be wrong, but I'll be shocked (and ecstatic) if I am wrong and the Jets can take him. While WR is an option at #10, I think it would be a terrible decision. There's little doubt that both Smith and Moses are going to miss games this season. I don't want it wrecked yet again by having Mitchell or Warren starting games. Also, both Smith and Moses are only here for 1 year. Who's going to start at OT in 2025? We don't know what that draft will look like, but if the Jets have a good season, odds are they won't be in a position to be able to draft a plug and play OT, and even if they were able to get a pretty good prospect, it wouldn't be optimal to have a rookie LT protecting Rodgers' blind side. We also know that OL Coach Carter sucks and hasn't developed jack with the Jets. The best thing the Jets could do would be to draft an OT in the 1st round and let him learn from 2 great veteran OTs this season, then he'd be ready to start and play at a high level next season.
