After learning that right tackle Mekhi Becton was likely out for the season, the New York Jets quickly pivoted to sign five-time Pro Bowler Duane Brown. The 36-year-old gets a two-year $22 million deal from the Jets. New York had been courting Brown since last week. Initially, Brown was seen as insurance with both of their current starting tackles coming off injuries.
The former Virginia Tech Hokie was selected to the Pro Bowl last season, but it was his lowest graded season since his rookie year, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He was the 27th graded tackle overall by PFF, so he still has some gas left in the tank.
Brown was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. He has spent the last five seasons protecting Russell Wilson in Seattle. Now he comes east to protect another Wilson, Jets second-year signal caller Zach Wilson. But how the Jets will deploy Brown remains to be seen. Becton was set to play right tackle and George Fant to play left tackle. Fant is coming off his best season as a pro. A season where he played all but 48 of his snaps at left tackle his preferred position.
So plug Brown in at right tackle, cue Lee Corso, “not so fast my friends.” Brown has never played a snap at right tackle in his career, and after 14 seasons in the NFL, a change is unlikely. Coming off a Pro Bowl season Brown probably plays on the left side while Fant moves back to the right side. Fant and Brown spent four seasons together from 2016 to 2019 in Seattle.
This move is unlikely to be the Jets’ last move in terms of during up the offensive line. After losing Becton, general manager Joe Douglas did an excellent job getting a quality player at this stage of the game. Douglas can not go into the season with Conor McDermott, Chuma Edoga, and rookie Max Mitchell as the primary backups. Brown will turn 37 before the start of the season, so he is not a long-term solution.
