Tag: Kelechi Osemele

Giants select Kelechi Osemele in Gil Brandt’s 2012 re-draft

In a 2012 NFL re-draft courtesy of Gil Brandt, the New York Giants select OG Kelechi Osemele instead of RB David Wilson.

Months removed from defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, the New York Giants decided to add a unique spark to their already talented team, selecting running back David Wilson in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately for the Giants and Wilson, that union was short-lived.

Wilson, who was named a Second Team All-Pro as a rookie, suffered a career-ending neck injury in 2013 and was forced to retire early.

With that in mind, Gil Brandt of NFL Network had the Giants go in an entirely different direction as part of his 2012 NFL re-draft, selecting offensive guard Kelechi Osemele at No. 32 overall.

Original pick: David Wilson, RB.
Osemele was actually drafted by: the Ravens in Round 2 (No. 60).

This can’t be considered a knock on Wilson, since an early career-ending neck injury prevented us from seeing what he could have become. The Giants could have avoided some of the problems that later surfaced along their offensive line by selecting Osemele here, with Cordy Glenn receiving strong consideration, as well.

The Giants did cycle through various guards from that point forward, but a quality offensive tackle would have been even more valuable to the team long-term.

Still, as Brandt alluded, having Osemele, a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, locked into place would have afforded the team an opportunity to dive deeper into their search for a quality tackle.

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Former All-Pro guard Kelechi Osemele could be upgrade Bears need on O-line

The Bears desperately need offensive line help at the guard position, so could Kelechi Osemele be the upgrade they’re looking for?

Cordarrelle Patterson continues to recruit players to join the Chicago Bears, and his latest target is former All-Pro guard Kelechi Osemele.

From the look of his response to Patterson, Osemele might be interested in signing with the Bears, where he would have a good chance to win the starting right guard job.

Is Osemele the upgrade the Bears could use on the offensive line?

It’s no secret that the Bears need to severely upgrade their offensive line this offseason. The only move they’ve made so far is signing former Seattle Seahawk German Ifedi. Ifedi is expected to play right guard to start 2020, but if I’m the Bears, I don’t feel comfortable with him succeeding Kyle Long.

Osemele, who is still currently a free agent, could come to the Bears with a good chance at winning the starting job and would be a huge piece to this team addressing some offensive line concerns.

The only concern is Osemele’s injury history. Last season with the New York Jets, Osemele played with a torn labrum and opted for surgery. The Jets had an issue with how he handled the injury his way and ultimately released him mid-season.

If you were general manager Ryan Pace, would you take a chance on a healthy Osemele to fill that need at right guard? Or would you feel more comfortable with Ifedi or Alex Bars?

Bringing Osemele to Chicago would definitely help redeem this weird offseason for the Bears.

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Report: Jets want to re-sign guard Alex Lewis

The Jets are interested in re-signing guard Alex Lewis to a new contract.

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.

Jets Free Agent Profile: What to do with OL Alex Lewis?

Here’s how the Jets should approach Alex Lewis’ free agency situation.

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.

5 New Year’s resolutions for the Jets in 2020

Here are five New Year’s resolutions the Jets should have in 2020.

Drama was abundant for the Jets in 2019.

The year included a new coach, a new general manager, a few big-name free agents, a couple of hopeful draft picks and a lot of injuries. And that’s just the basic stuff. In the end, the Jets finished the regular season with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season. Now the hope is to start the new decade with a fresh start for Gang Green.

So, in keeping with New Year’s tradition, here are a few resolutions the Jets should have for 2020.

Protect Sam Darnold

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Jets have failed for years to find their franchise quarterback and now they finally think they have one in Sam Darnold. It’s time to do whatever it takes to protect him.

New York’s offensive line was one of the worst the NFL has ever seen. It allowed the fourth-most sacks in the league this season with 52. The offensive line featured nine different combinations and 11 different players.

Joe Douglas has always prioritized improving in the trenches and that should be the first thing on his to-do list this offseason. Whether it’s in the draft or in free agency, the Jets need five new offensive linemen to protect their most-prized asset.

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Quincy Enunwa upset with Jets after being fined for missing treatment

The Jets have another angry player mad for how the team is handling his injury. This time it’s wide receiver Quincy Enunwa.

Add Quincy Enunwa to the list of injured Jets angry with the organization.

Enunwa, who’s been on injured reserve with a neck injury since mid-September, posted a series of angry tweets directed at the Jets for fining him $27,900 for missing two injury treatments.

Enunwa later specified that he only missed those treatments because he was taking his wife, Deanna, out for Veteran’s Day lunch and because he had a family emergency. Deanna Enunwa served in the U.S. Army from 2007-2010, according to her LinkedIn account.

“The biggest reason it hurts is that I’m on IR for the second time in my career and the doctor told me I have a 50/50 chance of coming back to play,” Enunwa later tweeted. “I shouldn’t even HAVE to be in that building being reminded every day of what I can’t do.

“This s—- feels like punishment already and then they FINE me the max. And then want me to continue to do my rehab there and IF I get healthy they want me to then play for them after.”

Enunwa says he only posted the tweets because multiple teammates told him it’s “f—-ed up” that the Jets are fining him for missing treatments.

This isn’t the first time the Jets have been less than hospitable to their injured players. Lest we forgot the Kelechi Osemele injury debacle in which the Jets denied the guard surgery for a torn labrum, fined him for missing practice and ultimately cut Osemele for getting surgery on his own. Osemele filed a grievance against the Jets before they cut him. Shortly after that, quarterback Luke Falk also filed a grievance against the team for cutting him after he suffered a hip injury that required surgery.

Joe Douglas is less than six months into his tenure as the Jets general manager and he already has three bad injury situations on his ledger. Not only are all three a terrible look for the Jets organization, but the pattern means there is definitely something wrong with the front office’s ability to deal with injuries.

Enunwa signed a four-year, $36 million contract extension with the Jets last offseason, and the Jets need to do right by a player who has battled multiple injuries since being drafted in the sixth round of 2014 draft.