By Paul Newbold Edited by Peter Cordi
As we all know, the 2014 offensive line for the New York Jets was a weak spot for the team. One might go as far as saying it rivaled the Jets’ secondary as the reason the team went 4-12. The play along the line was inconsistent and downright poor throughout most of the season.
Willie Colon was the most penalized offensive lineman in the league last year. His penalties were drive killers, and he didn't provide for much for either the run or passing game. It was by far the worst year in Colon's long career. Many thought he was destined to retire at the age of 32. The Jets obviously saw it differently as they re-signed him on a one-year deal.
Breno Giacomini played alongside Colon at tackle all of last season. He was brought over from the Seahawks to fill the hole of departing Austin Howard. Breno was supposed to be an upgrade over Howard, but that didn't prove to be the case. He played well enough, but nobody is going to mistake him for an all-pro anytime soon. Penalties were a problem for Breno as well, as he had problems in pass protection.
Nick Mangold continues to anchor this line for the Jets. He played well once again this past season, but not at the level we've come to expect from Mangold. He's aging and the first signs of the wear and tear of the trenches are beginning to show themselves. Recent years have been marked by minor injuries as well. Mangold will be back at center this season, but expect him to have competition in the form of Dalton Freeman. Freeman played well filling in for Mangold, and the Jets are reportedly high on his potential.
D'Brickashaw Ferguson has been solid for the Jets for many years now. ‘Brick has been a key piece of this offensive line for years. That being said, the past couple of years haven't been ‘Brick's best. He's struggled in the passing game as of late, some of his struggles can be contributed to his age, but much of it comes from not having adequate play at guard. Ferguson will be back for another campaign, but the Jets need to provide him with someone to play along side him.
Oday Aboushi stepped in for Brian Winters at guard last season. Winters’ struggles were beyond unacceptable, and barring any unforseen miracle, he's nothing more than a depth player. Aboushi stepped during in his second year and played admirably. Again, nobody is going to mistake Aboushi for an all-pro NFL guard. His play was adequate, but far from good. Aboushi enters this year's camp as the heir apparent for the spot, but the Jets will make him earn it. They need to upgrade the play here to protect their quarterback.
Competition in camp promises to be interesting. The Jets new offensive line coach will have some major decisions to make. The Jets have a bunch of pieces besides last year's starters and the coaching staff will need to figure out the best fit for each.
The Jets acquired James Carpenter last week. Carpenter spent his entire collegiate career playing tackle. Drafted by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2011 draft, Carpenter was switched to guard in the NFL. He's struggled with conditioning problems, and the resulting injuries since arriving to the NFL. Many saw him as an immediate replacement for Willie Colon when they signed him. Then the Jets re-signed Colon, raising the question of where Carpenter actually fits.
Dakota Dozier was highly touted by the Jets coaching staff last season. Dozier was taken in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. A guard out of small school Furman, Dozier was described as a "road grader" by Rex Ryan in camp last season. Dozier redshirted his rookie campaign, and will be in the mix of competitions this season. The Jets don't know what they have in Dozier, but they are hoping he can contribute this year.
Mike Maccagnan also added to the mix along the offensive line with his first signing. The Jets signed tackle Sean Hooey to a futures contract back in January. While it can be seen as a minor signing, Hooey is actually an interesting prospect. Hooey played his college ball at the Univeristy of Cincinatti. He has NFL experience at left tackle, playing a fill in role for Jake Long during the 2013 season. Hooey is a monster-sized tackle, coming in at 6'9" and 304 lbs. Hooey has suffered a series of injuries, and is coming off an ACL injury he suffered last season. Interesting note on Hooey- he has experience playing tight end as a blocker in college.
Rounding out the squad is Brent Qvale. The Jets signed him after a tryout last year in camp. Qvale is listed as 6'7" 315 lbs by the Jets. He was signed to a futures contract in December, and will be added to the competition in camp.
That's the current stable of Jet offensive lineman. Mangold, Ferguson and Carpenter are likely starters. Giacomini will likely hold down his starting role, but the Jets will need to consider moving him in camp. The competition at guard looks like it will be Aboushi and Dozier, but someone might also be brought in to solidify the position.
The Jets have to fix the holes along their offensive line. It was discussed at length prior to free agency, and Mike Macagnan delivered James Carpenter to the roster. I have to wonder if that is enough to fix this line however. Yes he's an immediate replacement for the poor play of Willie Colon last season. The Jets’ only problem wasn't Colon however.
The Jets have pieces, but for the most part, they are young, unproven pieces. The Jets can’t simply rely on those pieces to fix the struggles. The Jets can't stand pat with what they currently have on the roster. More must be done to insure whoever the quarterback is this year.
A couple of options the Jets might consider before hitting camp are signing Justin Blalock in free agency, a trade with the Eagles for Evans Mathis, or acquire a top offensive lineman in the draft. Blalock can be used as a stop-gap signing, he could hold down the guard position as Aboushi and Dozier develop further. Short-term deal, price won't be very high. Mathis would be another great addition, coming off injury in 2013, he was solid for Philly last season. Mathis would be an immediate starter and a big upgrade for this team.
The draft offers a decent amount of talent on the top end of the draft. The Jets could decide to use the sixth pick on the likes of Brandon Scherff, or La'el Collins. Both would be an immediate upgrade for the Jets offensive line. Drafting an offensive lineman in the first round, may not be the sexiest of picks, but it would go a long way to rebuilding a line that has been long neglected.
The offensive line is definitely not fixed. It’s a Jet position that They must continue to try to improve the roster. Blalock is likeable as a short-term answer, and the same goes for Mathis. It would be most wise, however, if they acquired their next offensive lineman through the draft.
As we all know, the 2014 offensive line for the New York Jets was a weak spot for the team. One might go as far as saying it rivaled the Jets’ secondary as the reason the team went 4-12. The play along the line was inconsistent and downright poor throughout most of the season.
Willie Colon was the most penalized offensive lineman in the league last year. His penalties were drive killers, and he didn't provide for much for either the run or passing game. It was by far the worst year in Colon's long career. Many thought he was destined to retire at the age of 32. The Jets obviously saw it differently as they re-signed him on a one-year deal.
Breno Giacomini played alongside Colon at tackle all of last season. He was brought over from the Seahawks to fill the hole of departing Austin Howard. Breno was supposed to be an upgrade over Howard, but that didn't prove to be the case. He played well enough, but nobody is going to mistake him for an all-pro anytime soon. Penalties were a problem for Breno as well, as he had problems in pass protection.
Nick Mangold continues to anchor this line for the Jets. He played well once again this past season, but not at the level we've come to expect from Mangold. He's aging and the first signs of the wear and tear of the trenches are beginning to show themselves. Recent years have been marked by minor injuries as well. Mangold will be back at center this season, but expect him to have competition in the form of Dalton Freeman. Freeman played well filling in for Mangold, and the Jets are reportedly high on his potential.
D'Brickashaw Ferguson has been solid for the Jets for many years now. ‘Brick has been a key piece of this offensive line for years. That being said, the past couple of years haven't been ‘Brick's best. He's struggled in the passing game as of late, some of his struggles can be contributed to his age, but much of it comes from not having adequate play at guard. Ferguson will be back for another campaign, but the Jets need to provide him with someone to play along side him.
Oday Aboushi stepped in for Brian Winters at guard last season. Winters’ struggles were beyond unacceptable, and barring any unforseen miracle, he's nothing more than a depth player. Aboushi stepped during in his second year and played admirably. Again, nobody is going to mistake Aboushi for an all-pro NFL guard. His play was adequate, but far from good. Aboushi enters this year's camp as the heir apparent for the spot, but the Jets will make him earn it. They need to upgrade the play here to protect their quarterback.
Competition in camp promises to be interesting. The Jets new offensive line coach will have some major decisions to make. The Jets have a bunch of pieces besides last year's starters and the coaching staff will need to figure out the best fit for each.
The Jets acquired James Carpenter last week. Carpenter spent his entire collegiate career playing tackle. Drafted by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2011 draft, Carpenter was switched to guard in the NFL. He's struggled with conditioning problems, and the resulting injuries since arriving to the NFL. Many saw him as an immediate replacement for Willie Colon when they signed him. Then the Jets re-signed Colon, raising the question of where Carpenter actually fits.
Dakota Dozier was highly touted by the Jets coaching staff last season. Dozier was taken in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. A guard out of small school Furman, Dozier was described as a "road grader" by Rex Ryan in camp last season. Dozier redshirted his rookie campaign, and will be in the mix of competitions this season. The Jets don't know what they have in Dozier, but they are hoping he can contribute this year.
Mike Maccagnan also added to the mix along the offensive line with his first signing. The Jets signed tackle Sean Hooey to a futures contract back in January. While it can be seen as a minor signing, Hooey is actually an interesting prospect. Hooey played his college ball at the Univeristy of Cincinatti. He has NFL experience at left tackle, playing a fill in role for Jake Long during the 2013 season. Hooey is a monster-sized tackle, coming in at 6'9" and 304 lbs. Hooey has suffered a series of injuries, and is coming off an ACL injury he suffered last season. Interesting note on Hooey- he has experience playing tight end as a blocker in college.
Rounding out the squad is Brent Qvale. The Jets signed him after a tryout last year in camp. Qvale is listed as 6'7" 315 lbs by the Jets. He was signed to a futures contract in December, and will be added to the competition in camp.
That's the current stable of Jet offensive lineman. Mangold, Ferguson and Carpenter are likely starters. Giacomini will likely hold down his starting role, but the Jets will need to consider moving him in camp. The competition at guard looks like it will be Aboushi and Dozier, but someone might also be brought in to solidify the position.
The Jets have to fix the holes along their offensive line. It was discussed at length prior to free agency, and Mike Macagnan delivered James Carpenter to the roster. I have to wonder if that is enough to fix this line however. Yes he's an immediate replacement for the poor play of Willie Colon last season. The Jets’ only problem wasn't Colon however.
The Jets have pieces, but for the most part, they are young, unproven pieces. The Jets can’t simply rely on those pieces to fix the struggles. The Jets can't stand pat with what they currently have on the roster. More must be done to insure whoever the quarterback is this year.
A couple of options the Jets might consider before hitting camp are signing Justin Blalock in free agency, a trade with the Eagles for Evans Mathis, or acquire a top offensive lineman in the draft. Blalock can be used as a stop-gap signing, he could hold down the guard position as Aboushi and Dozier develop further. Short-term deal, price won't be very high. Mathis would be another great addition, coming off injury in 2013, he was solid for Philly last season. Mathis would be an immediate starter and a big upgrade for this team.
The draft offers a decent amount of talent on the top end of the draft. The Jets could decide to use the sixth pick on the likes of Brandon Scherff, or La'el Collins. Both would be an immediate upgrade for the Jets offensive line. Drafting an offensive lineman in the first round, may not be the sexiest of picks, but it would go a long way to rebuilding a line that has been long neglected.
The offensive line is definitely not fixed. It’s a Jet position that They must continue to try to improve the roster. Blalock is likeable as a short-term answer, and the same goes for Mathis. It would be most wise, however, if they acquired their next offensive lineman through the draft.