Joe Douglas would like continue forward with Alex Lewis after trading for him last offseason.
According to NFL reporter Adam Caplan, the Jets want to re-sign the impending free agent. Douglas acquired Lewis from the Ravens for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in this year’s draft last August. The conditions of that trade were met, so the Ravens were rewarded with the draft compensation.
Lewis was originally a backup for the Jets until Kelechi Osemele underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. In Osemele’s place, Lewis started 12 games for the Jets. He was placed on injured reserve before the final game of the regular season with an ankle injury.
Lewis was a slight upgrade over Osemele, as he only gave up two sacks while playing 764 total snaps. The issue with Lewis was that he was penalty prone. He had six total penalties last season, which was tied for 16th compared to all other guards, according to Pro Football Focus.
Originally, Lewis was a fourth-round pick by the Ravens out of Nebraska. However, he got injured so much that the Ravens had no need for him. Lewis missed six games in 2016 with an ankle sprain. Then, he sat out the entire 2017 season due to a shoulder injury. In 2018, Lewis missed two games because of a neck injury.
The Jets need all the offensive line help they can get. They obviously want to improve at the guard position and have been linked to some big name free agents. But keeping Lewis for some depth would be a smart move. He is cheap and has proved that he can start when needed.