It looks like the days of splurging on skill position players and ignoring the offensive line in free agency are over at One Jets Drive.
With Mike Maccagnan running the show, the Jets frequently broke the bank on big-name free agents like Darrelle Revis, Trumaine Johnson, C.J. Mosley and numerous others. Macccagnan all but ignored the offensive line. Any signings he did make usually struggled. Maccagnan and his front office staff relied mostly on the draft to address New York’s offensive line, but failed miserably at landing impact players more often than not.
Only one week into his first free agency on the job, Joe Douglas has established that things are going to be different from now on. Five of Douglas’ nine signings have been offensive linemen. He has spent a combined $72.9 million to fix a unit that was arguably Gang Green’s worst last season. (Contract details have yet to become public for Greg Van Roten and Josh Andrews.)
Not only has Douglas spent as much money to makeover an entire unit as Maccagnan would have on one player, but he has gone about it in a way that affords him a great deal of financial freedom. George Fant, Alex Lewis, Connor McGovern and Van Roten have all received three-year contracts. It remains to be seen exactly how Van Roten’s deal is structured and what exactly the length of Andrews’ deal, but Douglas’ three-year approach allows him to part ways with players on his new-look line if he does not like what he sees out of them in a way that will not hamstring New York’s salary cap down the road.
Fant’s contract is essentially a one-year deal worth $8.9 million in guaranteed money. If he struggles in 2020, the Jets can cut him at no financial loss and go looking for a new starting tackle. Lewis is only getting $6 million in guaranteed money — a cheap deal for a player who figures to slot into the starting lineup at left guard. McGovern is getting the most guaranteed money out of the trio ($18 million), but that is not a number that will set the Jets back if they have no choice but to cut him at any point.
What makes Douglas’ approach to his offensive line rebuild even more impressive is the kind of players he is targeting. Douglas could have gone out and thrown money at some of the bigger names on the market, but has stuck to his guns and handed out deals to players who fit what he wants out of his line. It’s not a coincidence that McGovern has been called for only two penalties over 1,526 snaps at center and Van Roten has been flagged only four times at left guard over 1,800 snaps. Douglas went after guys that could block without being called for holding every other play — a problem that cost the Jets dearly in 2019.
Versatility has also been the name of the game for the four linemen Douglas has signed. Fant is athletic and can play either tackle position. Andrews, Lewis and Van Roten can play either guard position. McGovern is primarily a center but has experience playing both guard positions. This provides Adam Gase with a lot of ways to shuffle his line in the event of an injury to a starter or poor performance.
Douglas hit free agency with the intention of fixing New York’s offensive line and it’s safe to say he has gone about it in the correct manner. Sam Darnold needs blockers that can keep him upright. Andrews, Fant, Lewis, McGovern and Van Roten all profile as players who are capable of accomplishing that with consistency.
That’s certainly one heck of a way for Douglas to establish that he is up for the task of turning the Jets back into a contender.
