A Veteran Tackle the Jets Should be Taking a Close Look at

[JetNation]

When free agency kicks off in a few weeks, the New York Jets should be looking to add more than one or two offensive linemen.  In fact, the team’s focus should be at offensive tackle where they’ll need bodies up and down the depth chart.

Yes, there will be some options for the Jets come draft time such as Joe Alt, Olu Fashanu or Taliese Fuaga.  But in terms of free agency, one veteran tackle who should be high on their list as a depth option is Cam Fleming.

A veteran of ten seasons, Fleming has suited up for the Patriots, Cowboys, Giants and Broncos.  In fact, a move to the Jets would make for an easy transition.  The tackle played for the Broncos in 2022 when Jets offensive coordinator Nate Hackett was at head coach for part of the season.  Hackett was let go during the year after posting a 4-11 record.

Adding Fleming would mean bringing in veteran depth with a player who knows the system and has played both tackle spots.  In that forgettable 2022 season, Fleming played 9 games at right tackle and six on the left side.

Over the course of his career, Fleming has played in a total of 117 games (62 starts) and could be an ideal player to add to a line that cycled through 14 different players and eleven O-line combinations in 2023.

 

 

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[AFJF]

Really should've signed the guy last offseason but went for Aaron's buddy instead.

Of course you won't have an OL with 10 superstars, but they need 10 guys who can step in and not play at a practice squad level once you get to players 8, 9, 10, etc....

[Beerfish]

Oh yay, a guy  hackett likes that has bounced from team to team.

Maybe he can take over from Billy Turner as our designated vet that can't play

[bitonti]

 

Yosh nijman is my nomination for unknown fa tackle signing 

[83Kelly2Allen18]

I love Alt but he's probably gonna be gone. I would like the Washington ot and then zinter from Michigan later. 

 

If we can get Fuaga and Zinter, plus sign Bakhitari, that would be excellent

 

 

Bakhitari/ Fuaga*/ Warren 

Tomlinson/ Zinter*

Tippmann/ Nugent*

Vera-Tucker/ Zinter*

Becton/ Mitchell 

 

Billy Turner/Jake Hanson on the ps

[bitonti]

51 minutes ago, 83Kelly2Allen18 said:

I love Alt but he's probably gonna be gone. I would like the Washington ot and then zinter from Michigan later. 

 

If we can get Fuaga and Zinter, plus sign Bakhitari, that would be excellent

 

 

Bakhitari/ Fuaga*/ Warren 

Tomlinson/ Zinter*

Tippmann/ Nugent*

Vera-Tucker/ Zinter*

Becton/ Mitchell 

 

Billy Turner/Jake Hanson on the ps

Becton is gone and not resigning 

They wouldn't take a first Rd ot just to bench him 

Tomlinson is a bum 

[83Kelly2Allen18]

4 minutes ago, bitonti said:

Becton is gone and not resigning 

They wouldn't take a first Rd ot just to bench him 

Tomlinson is a bum 

But is it possible they get Bakhitari so they don't depend on a rookie protecting Rodgers blindside?

 

I understand your logic tho. I personally would like becton back

[83Kelly2Allen18]

I guess Fuaga can start at rt tho. So you're probably right 

[JetPotato]

15 hours ago, Beerfish said:

Oh yay, a guy  hackett likes that has bounced from team to team.

Maybe he can take over from Billy Turner as our designated vet that can't play

Don't forget, he "knows the system"

Mind you, it's a system that doesn't work (Hackett has overseen the 2 worst offenses in football 2 years in a row with 2 different teams) and really isn't much of a system to begin with since Hackett and Carter have different ideas on how to implement the blocking part of it.

[bitonti]

7 minutes ago, 83Kelly2Allen18 said:

But is it possible they get Bakhitari so they don't depend on a rookie protecting Rodgers blindside?

if he's cut the Jets would want him on a cheap deal but then again so would alot of teams and he's gone on record hating the MetLife Turf  

6 minutes ago, 83Kelly2Allen18 said:

I guess Fuaga can start at rt tho. So you're probably right 

Fuaga RT day1 is possible there's also talk about Olu Fashanu at 10 who could play RT for a year '

Fuaga/FA/Warren/Mitchell will probably be the 4 tackles

There's alot of smoke around Jets wanting Trent Brown which makes sense because Brown can play either side giving Jets draft flexibility at 10 

the ideal signing would be Onwenu but he's probably too expensive 

[83Kelly2Allen18]

7 minutes ago, bitonti said:

if he's cut the Jets would want him on a cheap deal but then again so would alot of teams and he's gone on record hating the MetLife Turf  

Fuaga RT day1 is possible there's also talk about Olu Fashanu at 10 who could play RT for a year '

Fuaga/FA/Warren/Mitchell will probably be the 4 tackles

There's alot of smoke around Jets wanting Trent Brown which makes sense because Brown can play either side giving Jets draft flexibility at 10 

the ideal signing would be Onwenu but he's probably too expensive 

 

 

Bakhitari/. Fauga*/. Warren 

Tomlinson/ 

Tippmann/. Schweitzer/ 

Vera-Tucker/  Zinter*

Fauga*/. Mitchell/  Turner

 

Hanson/ Newman/ Glaser ps

 

This would be ideal. I'm fine if they go with brown instead of Bakhitari 

[83Kelly2Allen18]

Zinter could also beat out Tomlinson. I want Douglas to bring in competition for him and real insurance for Vera Tucker 

[bitonti]

24 minutes ago, 83Kelly2Allen18 said:

Fauga*/. Mitchell/  Turner

Turner is on a 1 year deal that just expired I don't see any reason why he'd be back either

Zinter is an interesting dude coming off a violent tib/fib break. He says he'll be ready for workouts but doesn't seem like an ideal fit for the Jets who need healthy player now. They can't give out any more redshirt years to these rookies, everyone's on the verge of getting fired 

I do like this player though. There are about 6 other day 3 guard types who were at Mobile who would probably start their careers more quickly than Zinter 

[Beerfish]

7 minutes ago, bitonti said:

Turner is on a 1 year deal that just expired I don't see any reason why he'd be back either

Zinter is an interesting dude coming off a violent tib/fib break. He says he'll be ready for workouts but doesn't seem like an ideal fit for the Jets who need healthy player now. They can't give out any more redshirt years to these rookies, everyone's on the verge of getting fired 

I do like this player though. There are about 6 other day 3 guard types who were at Mobile who would probably start their careers more quickly than Zinter 

If Zinter drops due to the injury the jets should for sure go after him.   Probably not ready for prime time year one but this guy will be a solid starter for a number of years.

[83Kelly2Allen18]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

If Zinter drops due to the injury the jets should for sure go after him.   Probably not ready for prime time year one but this guy will be a solid starter for a number of years.

Everything I read says he'll be ready for mini camp

[bitonti]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

If Zinter drops due to the injury the jets should for sure go after him.   Probably not ready for prime time year one but this guy will be a solid starter for a number of years.

JD doesn't have any plans beyond this year 

[PepPep]

IMO the guy we should be taking a close look at is Alaric Jackson. 

-Young player (25) who still has upside and can get better. 

-Solid starting caliber player - not a guy who would sit on the bench but someone we can plug at the LT position.  

-Should not cost us insane $$$, even though he will not be cheap as a young FA starting LT. 

-Regarding above - although not exclusively a LT, he has had success on the left side and played substantial snaps there for the Rams. 

-Had some injuries in the past but nothing major that would cause concerns to signing him on, let's say a 3-4yr deal.

If I was the Jets THIS is the guy I would go hard after. The Rams will undoubtedly try to keep him. The Jets will need to convince him and overpay. And I have no problem with that. Bring this guy on board. Cut Tomlinson and sign a FA upgrade at Guard. Then draft Fuaga and plug him in on the right side.   

[PepPep]

2 hours ago, bitonti said:

if he's cut the Jets would want him on a cheap deal but then again so would alot of teams and he's gone on record hating the MetLife Turf  

Fuaga RT day1 is possible there's also talk about Olu Fashanu at 10 who could play RT for a year '

Fuaga/FA/Warren/Mitchell will probably be the 4 tackles

There's alot of smoke around Jets wanting Trent Brown which makes sense because Brown can play either side giving Jets draft flexibility at 10 

the ideal signing would be Onwenu but he's probably too expensive 

I'm not sure how everything will play out (nobody is). But I highly doubt Fashanu will be there at 10. I know his stock has fallen recently but he is a true LT prospect and he is one of the best. Him and alt will be one by the time the Jets pick. If he is there, the Jets should forget about their love affair with Fuaga and run, not walk to the podium. He has upside to be an elite pass blocking LT in the NFL and his run blocking has lots and lots of room to improve- meaning he will get better as he develops (he's only 21).

I don't really understand how Onwenu would be an 'ideal' signing. Again, unless we can get a plug and play LT in the draft (highly unlikely), Onwenu doesn't make a ton of sense. He does not have experience playing LT. The Jets need a LT and one they can rely on. They can draft a RT or at worst promote Warren or Mitchell as the de facto RT starter. Maybe they move AVT to RT. But LT is a major concern - assuming Becton walks. 

The IDEAL signing would be Tyron Smith, IMO. Then we cross our fingers and hope he stays healthy. As I mentioned in a previous post, I also think the Jets need to go after Alaric Jackson. A young RT with a lot of quality experience at LT. I would add Jonah Williams to the list but he struggled at LT when moving there from the right side. I don't think I would want to sign him to big money to play LT just to watch him stink it up. 

[bitonti]

24 minutes ago, PepPep said:

The Jets will need to convince him and overpay. And I have no problem with that

Honestly if the only way to get a player to sign with NYJ is to blatantly over pay they shouldn't push to sign that player. Even if the player is talented that money grab trumaine Johnson style signing isn't going to work out 

[bitonti]

19 minutes ago, PepPep said:

I'm not sure how everything will play out (nobody is). But I highly doubt Fashanu will be there at 10. I know his stock has fallen recently but he is a true LT prospect and he is one of the best. Him and alt will be one by the time the Jets pick.

If 4 qbs going top 8 that changes the board 

and the fact there's so many OT in this crop means teams might not target them high. TEN at 7 appears to be the only team locked into an OT before NYJ at 10 

 

19 minutes ago, PepPep said:

I don't really understand how Onwenu would be an 'ideal' signing. Again, unless we can get a plug and play LT in the draft (highly unlikely), Onwenu doesn't make a ton of sense. He does not have experience playing LT. The Jets need a LT and one they can rely on. They can draft a RT or at worst promote Warren or Mitchell as the de facto RT starter. Maybe they move AVT to RT. But LT is a major concern - assuming Becton walks. 

Onwenu can play 3 out of the 5 positions LG rg and rt... they need a Tomlinson replacement too 

19 minutes ago, PepPep said:

The IDEAL signing would be Tyron Smith, IMO. Then we cross our fingers and hope he stays healthy. As I mentioned in a previous post, I also think the Jets need to go after Alaric Jackson. A young RT with a lot of quality experience at LT. I would add Jonah Williams to the list but he struggled at LT when moving there from the right side. I don't think I would want to sign him to big money to play LT just to watch him stink it up. 

Smith is done physically as is Jonah

Jackson I wouldn't be mad at but probably won't leave LAR 

[TuscanyTile2]

7 hours ago, bitonti said:

Yosh nijman is my nomination for unknown fa tackle signing 

I don't know who that is and, tbh, I thought you mistyped the guy's name by having your hands not properly aligned with the F and J on the keyboard but I looked it up and he's a real player (with that spelling of his name).  Remind me not to question an author on stuff like that.

If this guy hits that will be quite a feather in your cap.  

 

[Larz]

I wonder how much Keith Carter’s reputation is going to hurt the Jets in free agency. 

 Probably more than a little 

 

[bitonti]

41 minutes ago, TuscanyTile2 said:

I don't know who that is and, tbh, I thought you mistyped the guy's name by having your hands not properly aligned with the F and J on the keyboard but I looked it up and he's a real player (with that spelling of his name).  Remind me not to question an author on stuff like that.

If this guy hits that will be quite a feather in your cap.  

 

He's the dude who plays when David Bakhtiari is injured. Which is like every game 

He's got experience in the system and with Rodgers. He also plays rt 

They moved on to Rasheed Walker this year but that's more of a financial decision than nijman not playing well 

Note I'm not saying he's an all pro but he can be a marginal lt starter or a plus swing which is more than they have right now 

[Sperm Edwards]

21 hours ago, bitonti said:

if he's cut the Jets would want him on a cheap deal but then again so would alot of teams and he's gone on record hating the MetLife Turf  

Fuaga RT day1 is possible there's also talk about Olu Fashanu at 10 who could play RT for a year '

Fuaga/FA/Warren/Mitchell will probably be the 4 tackles

There's alot of smoke around Jets wanting Trent Brown which makes sense because Brown can play either side giving Jets draft flexibility at 10 

the ideal signing would be Onwenu but he's probably too expensive 

It was him hating artificial turf in general, not specifically MetLife turf. He only sounded off on it re: MetLife's turf because his buddy Rodgers just got injured on it. Bakhtiari has never played on the current MetLife turf, as it was just changed & installed new for the 2023 season.

Agree with your take on them going with a tackle for their first pick no matter what veteran they also sign. It could be Bakhtiari, and then the rookie starts on the right side for week 1 until Bakhtiari goes on IR in the 2nd quarter. It could be a guy like Trent Brown so the rookie doesn't absolutely have to play LT immediately. In either case they have the flexibility of taking a pure RT prospect or take a LT/RT prospect who might start his career at RT before flipping sides, which is hardly uncommon.

Anyway that's the strategy Douglas employed with signing Fant - rather than the guy they were linked to in Conklin - heading into the 2020 draft. Turns out they were wrong about both the veteran and the rookie (Fant over Conklin, and of course Becton over Wirfs), but it seems that was the thought process and it might repeat.

[PepPep]

On 2/21/2024 at 5:04 PM, bitonti said:

Honestly if the only way to get a player to sign with NYJ is to blatantly over pay they shouldn't push to sign that player. Even if the player is talented that money grab trumaine Johnson style signing isn't going to work out 

I think any young LT will be 'overpaid' unless they go to a true SB contender and take, essentially a pay cut. It's not just the Jets paying a premium, its the premium price on the market for a young LT.  I don't think you can compare that to Trumaine Johnson - that is a massive exaggeration. Almost any team would be 'overpaying'. Maybe the Jets would be overpaying by just a bit more. Regardless, if you are the Jets, you take that risk. 

On 2/21/2024 at 5:07 PM, bitonti said:

If 4 qbs going top 8 that changes the board 

and the fact there's so many OT in this crop means teams might not target them high. TEN at 7 appears to be the only team locked into an OT before NYJ at 10 

 

Onwenu can play 3 out of the 5 positions LG rg and rt... they need a Tomlinson replacement too 

Smith is done physically as is Jonah

Jackson I wouldn't be mad at but probably won't leave LAR 

I highly doubt that 4 QBs go in the top 8. I simply don't think McCarthy makes that leap. But even if they do. I STILL think Alt and Fashanu go ahead of the Jets. even with a top of quality OT prospects in their draft. WHY? Because with all the great OT prospects, there are only a handful of top tier LT prospects. Most are RTs. Teams aren't dumb. They know this. They know that Alt and Fashanu are the only two guys that they can most likely plug and play at LT while you cannot say the same for Mims, Fuaga, Latham, Guyton, etc. Alt and Fashanu are going to go FAST. Most likely ahead of the Jets. And if one of them is there for the Jets, they should run to the podium. 

While Onwenu is super versatile. You are signing him to play a specific position. IMO, the best value is to draft a plug and play RT like Fuaga - maybe that is because I know full well that we will not be able to get a plug and play LT in the draft. But getting a rookie RT will save a lot of $$$ in FA. If you are planning to sign Onwenu to play G. Well, there are a lot of quality vet G's in FA that will be available at a much better price and will be a substantial upgrade over Tomlinson. 

Nothing suggests to me that Smith is done physically if we are signing him to a short term deal. He can still play when healthy.  

Nothing suggests to me that Jonah is done physically. But as I said he is a RT and I would only sign him to play RT. Which I don't want to do because I would rather draft a plug and play RT.

Jackson probably won't leave the Rams. But that does not mean the Jets should not put a concerted effort into trying to sign him, attempting to outbid other teams for his services. He's a 25 year old swing tackle with quality starting experience on the left side protecting a QB with little to no mobility. You won't be mad about Jackson? I would be ecstatic considering the other options available to us.  

[bitonti]

1 hour ago, PepPep said:

. I STILL think Alt and Fashanu go ahead of the Jets. even with a top of quality OT prospects in their draft. WHY? Because with all the great OT prospects, there are only a handful of top tier LT prospects. Most are RTs. Teams aren't dumb

Look at the top 9 teams in the draft compared to their team needs. There's not really alot of terrible lines in that group besides ten and NYJ. The draft is not about player value in a vacuum it's about matching players and teams 

1 hour ago, PepPep said:

While Onwenu is super versatile. You are signing him to play a specific position

Fine sign him to play LG and cut laken who is an absolute bum 

 

1 hour ago, PepPep said:

Nothing suggests to me that Smith is done physically 

Nothing suggests to me that Jonah is done physically

Um OK 

Let me ask just out of curiosity you don't think Aaron is done physically either 

[PepPep]

On 2/23/2024 at 12:06 PM, bitonti said:

Look at the top 9 teams in the draft compared to their team needs. There's not really alot of terrible lines in that group besides ten and NYJ. The draft is not about player value in a vacuum it's about matching players and teams

We will see how FA shakes out but I think you can pretty much pencil Tenn in for one of Alt or Fashanu. Lets say the second OT that goes who will most likely be Fashanu at this point. Then the question will be, will Alt be taken ahead of Tenn. I think between NE, ARI, LA and NYG, once the top 2 QBs are off the board, someone will take him. Even if NE takes Daniels and ARI takes MHJ. For both LA and NYG to pass on Alt would be a surprise to me. The Giants line is bad and while they have young OTs, they've been going through some growing pains and Neal might be a bust. They've invested a lot in their QB and I think they will stick with him (the top 3 QBs are gone anyway). Maybe they go Nabers, I could see that. But Alt also makes a lot of sense to protect Danny Dimes and give him a chance to succeed. LA could pair Alt with Slater and give Herbert the kind of protection hes needed all of last season. It makes a ton of sense. Thats just how I see it. Obviously could be completely different. In the end I think the Chargers take Alt and the Giants happily go with Nabers, then Tenn takes Fashanu a few stops ahead of us. 

This is how I see it going down:

CHI-Caleb

WAS- Maye

NE- Daniels

ARI- MHJ

LA- Alt

NYG- Nabers

Tenn- Fashanu

ATL- Latu (or top edge rusher)

CHI- Odunze

NYJ- Fuaga 

 

Fine sign him to play LG and cut laken who is an absolute bum  - Sure. Im for it. My whole argument was that you would be overpaying for a T to play G when there are a number of quality Guards in FA and you already need to sign min one starting caliber T to play on the outside. 

Um OK 

Let me ask just out of curiosity you don't think Aaron is done physically either  - That depends of what you consider 'done physically', right? None of these guys we are talking about - Aaron Rodgers, Jonah Williams, Davis can no longer play quality football when healthy. I mean, if they want to retire they can go ahead and do so but they can still play. A guy like Duane Brown is done. He couldn't crack the starting lineup or even carve out a depth role. And this after he came back from injury. 

Of course you never know how players will come back from serious injury. In Aaron's case, he very well could be 'done'. We just don't know for sure until we at least see him play. I personally think what makes him great is still there and he can recover enough to be  a very good QB in the final couple of years he decides to stay in the NFL. We shall see. 

 

 

[CanadaSteve]

On 2/21/2024 at 5:07 PM, bitonti said:

If 4 qbs going top 8 that changes the board 

and the fact there's so many OT in this crop means teams might not target them high. TEN at 7 appears to be the only team locked into an OT before NYJ at 10 

I wonder if it would be a good idea to do what you can to trade down, recoup that second pick, and take an OT much lower.  If this draft is as deep as everyone is saying, you don't need an Alt or a Fuaga.  You can then also double dip on the OL this draft.  But without a second pick, not sure they can. 

[RedBeardedSavage]

On 2/21/2024 at 12:07 PM, bitonti said:

if he's cut the Jets would want him on a cheap deal but then again so would alot of teams and he's gone on record hating the MetLife Turf  

Fuaga RT day1 is possible there's also talk about Olu Fashanu at 10 who could play RT for a year '

Fuaga/FA/Warren/Mitchell will probably be the 4 tackles

There's alot of smoke around Jets wanting Trent Brown which makes sense because Brown can play either side giving Jets draft flexibility at 10 

the ideal signing would be Onwenu but he's probably too expensive 

Curious, do you think Alt is worth a trade up and separately, do you think that's realistic?

I know you know your tackles. 

[bitonti]

2 hours ago, RedBeardedSavage said:

Curious, do you think Alt is worth a trade up and separately, do you think that's realistic?

I know you know your tackles. 

No I don't think he's worth a trade up and the Jets don't have the ammo for it anyway 

Joe Alt is fancy man's Mike McGlinchey

which is great you need guys like that but I don't see this player making All-Pro etc. 

[bitonti]

6 hours ago, PepPep said:

For both LA and NYG to pass on Alt would be a surprise to me.

LAC has Rashawn Slater a former All Pro they need a RT they don't necessarily need to spend 6 overall on this slot. Bowers could be a pick there or any big time WR. There's also real rumors that Harbaugh could take JJ McCarthy and trade Herbert.

NYG has Andrew Thomas, a second team all Pro LT if they draft Alt at 7, besides giving up on Neal they will be dooming one of Thomas or Alt to RT which they aren't going to be happy about 

I don't think either of these teams take OT top 10. Could it happen yes but they aren't slam dunk OT need like TEN and NYJ

there's also a scenario where Fuaga goes before Olu, I don't know how likely that is but it's possible depending on how everyone works out. There's also a scenario where Olu run a 4.9 or something and goes before Alt. I'd be happy with any of those top 3 to be honest. 

6 hours ago, PepPep said:

 depends of what you consider 'done physically', right? None of these guys we are talking about - Aaron Rodgers, Jonah Williams, Davis can no longer play quality football when healthy. I mean, if they want to retire they can go ahead and do so but they can still play. A guy like Duane Brown is done. He couldn't crack the starting lineup or even carve out a depth role. And this after he came back from injury. 

Of course you never know how players will come back from serious injury. In Aaron's case, he very well could be 'done'. We just don't know for sure until we at least see him play. I personally think what makes him great is still there and he can recover enough to be  a very good QB in the final couple of years he decides to stay in the NFL. We shall see. 

When I used to go to Mobile every year the scouts would talk about players who were current stars like they were tubes of toothpaste. There's only so much squeeze in any career and Rodgers is alot closer to Duane Brown status than people are willing to admit 

the Jets bought a lemon. I don't think Rodgers plays more than half the games this year

Father Time is undefeated 

[Rich Thornburgh]

On 2/21/2024 at 7:57 PM, 83Kelly2Allen18 said:

But is it possible they get Bakhitari so they don't depend on a rookie protecting Rodgers blindside?

 

I understand your logic tho. I personally would like becton back

Your boy Bakhtiari is done, Aaron

[Rich Thornburgh]

On 2/21/2024 at 11:07 PM, bitonti said:

If 4 qbs going top 8 that changes the board 

and the fact there's so many OT in this crop means teams might not target them high. TEN at 7 appears to be the only team locked into an OT before NYJ at 10 

 

Onwenu can play 3 out of the 5 positions LG rg and rt... they need a Tomlinson replacement too 

Smith is done physically as is Jonah

Jackson I wouldn't be mad at but probably won't leave LAR 

Sign Trent Brown or resign Becton to a 2 year deal.  Then sign Zeitler

 

I think Fashuanu drops to us at 10 and he might be better than Alt

[83Kelly2Allen18]

15 minutes ago, Rich Thornburgh said:

Your boy Bakhtiari is done, Aaron

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[83Kelly2Allen18]

15 minutes ago, Rich Thornburgh said:

Sign Trent Brown or resign Becton to a 2 year deal.  Then sign Zeitler

 

I think Fashuanu drops to us at 10 and he might be better than Alt

Id rather sign David Edwards from buffalo and draft a guard mid rds. Edwards is younger