Offensive Linemen on the Roster (GP/GS in 2021)
T Mekhi Becton (1/1), G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (8/7), T Chuma Edoga (4/0), T George Fant (15/15), OL Dan Feeney (16/5), OL Parker Ferguson (0/0), OL Grant Hermanns (0/0), T Conor McDermott (6/3), C Connor McGovern (15/15), T Morgan Moses (17/16), OL Ross Pierschbacher (0/0), OL Dru Samia (0/0), OL Greg Senat (0/0), G Greg Van Roten (17/10), G Alijah Vera-Tucker (16/16), OL Isaiah Williams (4/0)
*Potential Free Agents *
Unrestricted: Moses, Duvernay-Tardif, Feeney, McDermott, Senat
Jets' OL Free Agency Picture
It was a second season of continuity interrupted, as the line lost LT Mekhi Becton to injury in the opener, switched RGs at midseason, and worked through four starters missing games due to injuries or COVID in the season's final month. But there was also progress, most noticeably in the rushing attack, where the Jets went from 76.3 yards/game and 3.6 yards/carry in the first nine games to 122.5 yards/game and 5.2 yards/carry in the last eight. Pass pro struggled throughout, in large part in the second half because QB Zach Wilson and the offense were coping late with multiple injures especially at WR and TE.
"I think our offensive line is in a better place now. If you ask me, I'm always going to say we can be better on the offensive line. But I thought we had a group of guys that battled their butts off this year. We have a lot of versatility in that group, a lot of good people, great guys, great professionals, and guys that have been forced to move to different positions in-season, in-game. So their flexibility, their versatility has really been a great tool for us moving forward."
Douglas may have to replace some of those tools since RT starter Morgan Moses and second-half RG starter Laurent Duvernay-Tardif can become unrestricted free agents. But T George Fant, C Connor McGovern and hopefully Becton at full strength return and there are some enticing candidates at the top of free agency if the Jets wish to augment or need to replace O-linemen from the '21 campaign.
Six Free Agent OL Candidates
RG Brandon Scherff (6-5, 315), Washington
Scherff, who would be arguably the top guard if he enters free agency, has been with Washington since being taken with the fifth overall pick out of Iowa in the 2015 draft. He's made the Pro Bowl in five of the past six seasons, was named All-Pro in 2020, and was a member of the sixth-best OL in the league last year, according to Pro Football Focus. His pass-blocking has improved over the years but his availability has suffered the past four years as he's started 43 games but missed 22 games with pectoral, elbow, shoulder and knee injuries.
LT Cam Robinson (6-6, 320), Jacksonville
Robinson at 26 years of age is one of the youngest offensive linemen potentially available in free agency this offseason. He's been with the Jaguars' LT all five of his seasons, and while he hasn't made a Pro Bowl yet, he's been one of the Jags' most consistent O-linemen. Last year, playing under the franchise tag, by one count he gave up zero sacks and he was debited with zero holds for the second straight season. The Jaguars could tag him again by March 8 or re-sign him long-term or start over with
LT Terron Armstead (6-5, 304), New Orleans
Armstead is one of the graybeards of this group, entering his 10th NFL season and turning 31 in July before the start of training camps. He was New Orleans' third-round pick in 2013 and the Saints' three-time Pro Bowler from 2018-20 as their starting LT. An issue for him has been health — in his first nine seasons he never started 16 games and has sat out 38 games since 2014 with an assortment of injuries. Yet he's been a member of five playoff teams and seven consecutive top-10 offensive units as a Saint.
LG Laken Tomlinson (6-3, 315), San Francisco
The Jamaica-born Tomlinson, well-known to Jets HC Robert Saleh since they were 49ers teammates from 2017-20, has built a solid career as San Francisco's LG after spending his first two pro seasons with Detroit. He hasn't missed a start in four years, was the Niners OL's Bobb McKittrick Award winner for the third time in those four years, and played in his first Pro Bowl this past season, as the NFC's RG starter. He's a burly run-blocker and had the best of his seven pro seasons in pass-blocking, yielding just one sack.
RT Trenton Brown (6-8, 380), New England
Brown also has some experience with Saleh, having started his NFL career with San Fran in 2015 and playing his last year there in 2017 when Saleh arrived as the 49ers' defensive coordinator. Then Brown went traveling, playing for New England in '18, the Raiders in Oakland in '19 and Las Vegas in '20, then back to the Patriots as their RT last year. He's a massive man who has missed 25 of 49 games from 2019-21 but is sharp when he's on the field, rarely getting penalized or giving up a sack those past three seasons.
LG Andrew Norwell (6-6, 325), Jacksonville
Norwell along with Robinson made up the left side of QB Trevor Lawrence's first NFL blocking unit with the Jaguars last year. He brought his Nick Mangold interior lineman beard with him to Carolina as an undrafted lineman of Ohio State. After four seasons with the Panthers, he spent the past four with the Jags. In four of his past six seasons he's played more than 1,000 offensive snaps, including last year when he had 17 starts. He could be available if the Jags decide to rebuild their O-line for Lawrence's second year at the controls.
