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Joe Douglas isn’t messing around
with the offensive line.
He wants to build a fortress for his young quarterback, and that fortress isn’t just about the starters, but having a heck of a second team.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler announced that the Jets are close to inking former Washington Football Team right tackle Morgan Moses to a multi-year deal.
Why would they do this?
People would say to replace right tackle George Fant.
Not necessarily. In March, $4.45 million of Fant’s $8.5 million 2021 base salary was guaranteed. If they cut him now, it’s reportedly a $9.8 million cap hit.
So Fant likely isn’t going anywhere.
Actually, if Mekhi Becton continues to have injury issues, the Jets could move Fant to left tackle, and start Moses at right tackle, the position he manned for the Washington Football Team for the last six years, not missing a game.
Fant actually is more comfortable at left tackle, and signed with the Jets expecting to play left tackle, but then they picked Becton in the first round of the 2020 draft.
So this isn’t about getting rid of Fant.
The Jets are one of the few teams in the NFL that has quality cap space in a year where the cap went down to $182.5 million, and most teams are up against it right now.
So while the Jets can’t totally guarantee Moses a starting job like some other teams might, they can offer him the most money, and he’s 30-years-old, and still wants to maximize his earning power.
Look, the Jets had a lot of offensive line injuries last year, with Fant, Becton, Greg Van Roten, Alex Lewis all missing time. Center Connor McGovern had a hamstring issue, but played through it, so all five starters were hurt along the way.
The Kansas City Chiefs lost the Super Bowl mainly because their offensive line was missing key starters, and they had a poor backup plan.
Douglas, a former college offensive lineman, is always focused like a laser on that position, and he wants to take advantage of the Jets being one of the few teams with cap space, to make sure not only he has a good starting line, but one of the best backup plans in the league.
And with Becton’s injury history in his short NFL career being a concern, having Fant as an option at left tackle, with Moses in the building as a right tackle, could look like a masterstroke if Becton has to miss time.
Also in Moses, the Jets would have a great mentor for Becton, who clearly needs to improve his conditioning. Moses, like Becton, is a Richmond guy (like Douglas), so he would enter the building have “walked a mile” in Becton’s shoes. They will be instant kindred spirits. Maybe Moses can be the guy who truly gets through to Becton about his conditioning concerns.
But the bottom line is Douglas has a rookie QB, who he picked second overall, who isn’t the biggest guy, has kind of a lean frame, and had shoulder surgery a couple of years go.
Douglas wants to build a wall in front of him.
Well, actually, two walls – with an excellent starting five, and one of the best backup units in the league.
Big Joe isn’t messing around when it comes to protecting Wilson.
June 17, 2021
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