Joe Douglas has dipped his feet into the pool of offensive linemen this offseason, but he doesn’t think the water is deep enough for a headfirst dive.
In other words, he believes the pickings are slim when it comes to building a solid unit up front. And the Jets general manager isn’t just talking about the free agent linemen that were available to him this spring. He’s talking about the entire league.
“I think there’s a real shortage of quality offensive linemen in the NFL, so we’re going to do our best to get as many quality ones as we can because you can never have too many,” Douglas said on a conference call Wednesday.
Douglas, a former offensive lineman at Richmond, has put New York’s offensive line above all else this offseason, although his hesitancy to spend big money still has some skeptical of Gang Green’s ability in the trenches. That’s why there’s a good chance Douglas takes a tackle early in the draft later this month.
In free agency so far, Douglas’ has signed three guards in Alex Lewis, Greg Van Roten and Josh Andrews, as well as one tackle in George Fant and one center in Connor McGovern. Douglas, however, promised Sam Darnold’s parents he would get the quarterback quality protection, so don’t be surprised if Douglas continues to build the line in the draft. Jedrick Wills, Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton and Andrew Thomas are the four best tackles in this class, but it’s too early to tell if any of them will be available when the Jets pick at No. 11.
If Douglas doesn’t get a shot at any of them, then he can always grab a receiver for Darnold in a draft that is deep at the position. However, it’s clear Douglas’ focus is on protection, so expect him to take a lineman early, if not with his first pick as Jets general manager.