George Fant doesn’t care how he gets on the field. He just wants to play.
The lineman signed with the Jets this offseason expecting to play left tackle. However, with the addition of rookie Mekhi Becton, that seems unlikely now. Now Fant’s best shot at playing will come at right tackle, a position that he has some familiarity with, though not as much as the left side.
No matter, though. Fant will take his snaps wherever the Jets want him.
“I don’t want to get that deep into it,” Fant said, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “It’s not about a position, it’s about getting on the field.”
The 27-year-old will have to compete at right tackle with Chuma Edoga if Becton secures the left tackle job. Fant should have an advantage there given that he has more NFL experience.
Fant has started 24 of 46 games over his four-year career. He got a late start to football because he played basketball at Western Kentucky. Fant didn’t start playing football until he used his fifth year of eligibility to join Western Kentucky’s team.
That has made Fant into a work in progress. He has all the physical tools to play tackle at 6-foot-5, 322 pounds. However, he did not show the technical skills to be a full-time starter in Seattle.
The Jets love Fant’s athleticism and size, though. They view him as a tackle who can swing out on the run and create open holes. Fant’s biggest problems come in pass protection, mainly because of his feet. Edge rushers feed on using their speed to get past Fant.
He’s going to have to improve on that aspect of his game if he hopes to land a starting job on the Jets offensive line.