Before Joe Douglas can focus on who he plans to target in free agency come March, he’ll have a handful of in-house decisions to make.

The Jets have 32 players set to hit the open market this offseason. Some don’t figure to factor into New York’s plans for 2020, while it’s safe to assume the Jets would like to keep others around for a while. Either way, Douglas has a lot of work to do in his first offseason on the job.

Alex Lewis took over as a starter after Kelechi Osemele got hurt and ended up being an upgrade. However, with an overhaul of the entire offensive line coming, did Lewis do enough to keep his guard spot? Let’s take a look on how the Jets should approach Lewis’ free agency in Jets Wire’s latest free agent profile.

Pros of keeping him

After opening the season as a backup, Lewis was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 5 after Osemele went down with a shoulder injury. Once Lewis started, the Jets offensive line played significantly better, but especially in pass protection.

Lewis himself only allowed two sacks in 12 starts, which was tied for 35th in the NFL for guards, according to Pro Football Focus. Lewis brings a lot of energy in the trenches, which is part of the reason why the Jets front office decided to trade for him in the first place.

Cons of keeping him

Lewis struggled with penalties in 2019, routinely wiping out key plays for New York’s already-stagnant offense. Lewis committed six penalties, which was tied for 16th in the league for guards. That’s something the Jets can’t afford because they don’t get many big plays to begin with.

If the Jets want to move on from every single player on 2019’s dreadful line, Lewis wouldn’t be hard to replace.

The verdict

Since Douglas acquired Lewis in a trade from the Ravens and he wasn’t a holdover from the Mike Maccagnan regime, there’s a good chance the general manager tries to keep him around. It doesn’t hurt to have offensive line depth, especially one when it isn’t expensive.

Despite his inconsistencies in 2019, don’t be surprised if Lewis is back for another season in New York.