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Final part of the series . . .
The Jets signed former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Tom Compton to a deal on Monday.
He started 14 games last year at left guard for the Vikings, but obviously he’s not going to play that position with the Jets, who have newly-acquired Kelechi Osemele at that spot.
Compton has a better chance of competing with Brian Winters at right guard, or if right tackle Brandon Shell is delayed in coming back from his knee injury. Compton, a college offensive tackle, can handle right tackle as well, though recently re-signed Brent Qvale is likely the insurance policy at right tackle.
While there is a chance he could end up starting, this is likely more of a depth move. The Jets will be his fifth team in eight years, so clearly teams like him on their rosters, for depth and versatility, but clearly never fall head over heals in love with his skill set as a starter. He has 29 starts in 85 NFL games, with his 14 starts last year in Minnesota being his most.
The Vikings had a hard time running the ball last year. I’m not pointing a finger at Compton over this, but he was part of a line the struggled with run blocking as a unit.
He’s listed at 6-6, but he’s actually 6-5. He weighs 315 pounds and went to the University of South Dakota. He entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Washington Redskins in 2012, and spent some time on their practice squad . . .
The Jets also added tight end Daniel Brown in free agency. He was a standout wide receiver at 1-AA James Madison, but wasn’t fast enough to stay at the position, and at 6-5, 225, he was considered a good candidate to move to tight end in the NFL, and he did that as an undrafted free agent in Baltimore. He’s now at up to 250, and after a brief stay with Ravens, he spent that last three years on the Chicago Bears active roster. His first two years in Chicago, he flashed a little as a receiving tight end with 29 catches, but last year, under a new coach, and with Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Dion Sims as the three top tight ends, he didn’t play much on offense. He was a solid special team’s contributor in Chicago. He will compete for the #3 tight end with the Jets behind starter Chris Herndon and #2 blocking tight end Eric Tomlinson.
Speaking of the Bears, one of the Jets’ first 2019 free agent moves was adding wide receiver/special-teamer Josh Bellamy. He’s a Adam Gase favorite from their time in Chicago together. He’s an underrated receiver who also excels on special teams and is a good locker room guy.
The Jets also brought back linebacker Neville Hewitt on a one-year deal. Filling in as a starter for the suspended Darron Lee over the last month in 2018, he was an upgrade because he’s better at shedding blocks and playing down hill. He will give the Jets a quality backup behind starting inside linebacker C.J. Mosley and Avery Williamson.
The Jets will add more free agents moving forward, but this concludes out 30,000 foot view of what they’ve done so far.
March 22, 2019
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