Joe Douglas has talked about constructing the Jets’ offensive line because the day he arrived because the workforce’s common supervisor in 2019 … actually.
That is what Douglas mentioned at his introductory press convention that June: “It is a sport of wills. And we’re going to attempt to construct a workforce that may impose their will on different groups, and to do this it’s a must to be sturdy up entrance, not simply on the offensive line however the line of defense.”
However right here we’re in 2024, and Douglas nonetheless must construct the offensive line, and this offseason, it’s a large rebuild.
Douglas wants to search out three starters after the discharge of veteran guard Laken Tomlinson final week.
Mekhi Becton and Duane Brown are free brokers who will not be anticipated to return.
By means of free company and the draft, the Jets might want to add both two guards or two tackles, relying on the place the workforce decides to play Alijah Vera-Tucker.
“It’s a whole lot of items,” Douglas mentioned this week on the NFL Scouting Mix. “On the identical time we simply had some unbelievable conferences with our teaching workers, free-agent conferences. There’s three completely different avenues that we will do that: commerce, free company and draft. So going by means of the place we’re, the pliability, going by means of the conferences that we simply went by means of, the pliability of AVT, really feel like there’s some guys that may are available in and be the appropriate sort of match for us by way of the intelligence, toughness, reliability.
“There’s some good candidates on the market that may are available in and assist us.”
The offensive line prospects within the 2024 draft shall be on show Sunday in Indianapolis as that group goes by means of drills on the mix.
Jets coach Robert Saleh joined Douglas there on Saturday and can watch the linemen undergo drills.
The expectation is the Jets will get one of many prime three tackles at No. 10 general.
Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga are all thought of potential top-10 picks by draft specialists.
All of them had been requested about enjoying with quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Saturday and expressed pleasure at that chance.
The excellent news for the Jets is that this draft has loads of sturdy offensive line candidates.
NFL Community draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has seven offensive linemen in his prime 20.
“It’s a loaded sort out class,” Jeremiah mentioned final week. “Simply by way of that prime group, there’s 10, 11 guys which might be actually attention-grabbing. I feel we’ll see a bunch of Day 1 starters out of that sort out group.”
Earlier than we get to the draft, the Jets shall be looking for solutions in free company.
The sort out class shouldn’t be a powerful one, however there are some good guards accessible.
Kevin Dotson of the Rams and Robert Hunt of the Dolphins ought to each get massive contracts.
Patriots lineman Mike Onwenu has flexibility to play each guard and sort out, which might land him massive cash.
Douglas has been down this street earlier than. He remade the offensive line in 2020. That point, he was clearly looking for worth.
He didn’t signal top-of-the-market sort out Jack Conklin, to the frustration of Jets followers.
As a substitute he went cut price searching and signed heart Connor McGovern, sort out George Fant and guard Greg Van Roten.
He drafted Becton to play left sort out a month later.
McGovern and Fant had some good moments for the Jets.
Van Roten was minimize after two seasons.
Becton has been a disappointment and shall be shifting to a different workforce in free company.
The Jets are one in every of many groups seeking to enhance alongside the offensive line, so the costs might escalate shortly.
The Raiders, Dolphins, Titans and Ravens all have massive wants on the road.
Douglas pointed to the pliability afforded to them by Vera-Tucker as a key this week.
If the Jets suppose they’ll get two guards in free company, they’ll put Vera-Tucker at sort out.
In the event that they find yourself with a sort out and a guard, they’ll put him at guard.
“I feel we’re in a very good state of affairs as a result of notably of the pliability that AVT gives us,” Douglas mentioned. “We don’t have any determination on precisely the place he’s going to line up. However his skill to play 4 completely different spots and 4 completely different spots nicely provides us a whole lot of flexibility shifting ahead [with] our roster constructing, O-line constructing. However the one factor we’re going to do that yr, we’re not going to maneuver AVT round.
“We’re going to have a spot for him and depart him there for the season.”
