Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The #Jets biggest offseason storyline could be in the trenches:
The New York Jets will begin training camp on July 26. Leading up to that, Jets Wire will provide some quick hitting analysis on each position for New York.
Next up is the running back unit:
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar continues our position lists with his 11 best offensive guards in the NFL today.
While a lot of our positional lists for the 2022 NFL season feature all kinds of new players bumping previous stars off their podiums, our list of the best offensive guards is very consistent from then to now. Only two of the guards who made the list last year are off this year — Ali Marpet of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who retired, and Brandon Scherff, formerly of the Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders and now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose injury history and overall excellence when healthy took a turn in a different direction.
Perhaps the consistency is inherent to the position — is it possible that guards have less of a performance variance from season to season than players at other positions, even when they switch teams? Joe Thuney went from the Patriots to the Chiefs in the 2021 offseason with a five-year, $80 million contract, and he was just as good in a very different system. Kevin Zeitler went from the Giants to the Ravens, proved to be a perfect fit in Baltimore’s system, and might have been even better than he was before.
That’s potentially good news for former Patriots guards Ted Karras and Shaq Mason, who have new homes with the Bengals and Buccaneers, respectively. Not to mention former Rams and Titans guard Rodger Saffold, now with the Bills, and ex-49ers guard Laken Tomlinson, now with the Jets.
Last year’s list was compiled by our own Mark Schofield, and this year’s list by yours truly with no cribbing, so there you go. And while this list of guards is very much in line with our 2021 version, there is some movement inherent in these rankings. There’s a new guy at the top, while the former guy at the top could very well be there again with more consistent teammate health, and a much, much, MUCH more consistent quarterback than he had last season.
With all that out of the way, here are Touchdown Wire’s top 11 guards in anticipation of the 2022 NFL season.
The NFL’s top 12 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 12 outside cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders
#Jets’ Laken Tomlinson named 9th best guard in NFL:
The New York Jets made splash after splash in free agency. As it normally goes, moves made in the trenches are a tad overlooked.
But not only did the Jets shell out the most on guard Laken Tomlinson, there’s also what our friends at the NFL Wire said. Don’t just skim over Laken Tomlinson’s addition because he’s good.
In fact, Tomlinson was named the ninth-best guard recently by TD Wire’s Doug Farrar.
Check out Farrar’s breakdown on Tomlinson’s placement below:
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar continues our position lists with his complication of the NFL’s 11 best offensive guards.
While a lot of our positional lists for the 2022 NFL season feature all kinds of new players bumping previous stars off their podiums, our list of the best offensive guards is very consistent from then to now. Only two of the guards who made the list last year are off this year — Ali Marpet of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who retired, and Brandon Scherff, formerly of the Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders and now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose injury history and overall excellence when healthy took a turn in a different direction.
Perhaps the consistency is inherent to the position — is it possible that guards have less of a performance variance from season to season than players at other positions, even when they switch teams? Joe Thuney went from the Patriots to the Chiefs in the 2021 offseason with a five-year, $80 million contract, and he was just as good in a very different system. Kevin Zeitler went from the Giants to the Ravens, proved to be a perfect fit in Baltimore’s system, and might have been even better than he was before.
That’s potentially good news for former Patriots guards Ted Karras and Shaq Mason, who have new homes with the Bengals and Buccaneers, respectively. Not to mention former Rams and Titans guard Rodger Saffold, now with the Bills.
Last year’s list was compiled by our own Mark Schofield, and this year’s list by yours truly with no cribbing, so there you go. And while this list of guards is very much in line with our 2021 version, there is some movement inherent in these rankings. There’s a new guy at the top, while the former guy at the top could very well be there again with more consistent health, and a much, much, MUCH more consistent quarterback than he had last season.
With all that out of the way, here are Touchdown Wire’s top 11 guards in anticipation of the 2022 NFL season.
The NFL’s top 12 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 12 outside cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders
The NFL’s top 12 interior defensive linemen
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions, Pro Football Focus, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).
ESPN: #Jets OL Laken Tomlinson, Alijah Vera-Tucker highlighted by NFL peers:
The New York Jets have made a conscious effort to improve their offensive line play during their rebuild.
In doing so, they’ve gotten praised this offseason.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Jets have the 13th best offensive line in the NFL. The football analytics outlet went as far to say New York’s play in the trenches has “high-end potential.”
Regarding the Jets’ O-line, a lot of eyes are on the tackles and how things will shake out between Mekhi Becton and Alijah Vera-Tucker. However, ESPN brings the guard play to light in the best possible way.
Surveying more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players, the former world-wide leader helped us name the 10 best at each spot on the field according to those in the game.
Enter Laken Tomlinson and Alijah Vera-Tucker.
The New York duo unfortunately did not appear in the top-10 slots. However, a few honorable mentions pop up. That’s where the pair of Jets guards are found.
Check out what ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler wrote on both below:
Which #Jets players are under the most pressure in 2022?
The New York Jets are seeing the hopes and aspirations of their fan base rising. That comes with some big pressure for some players on the team.
Here are the Jets players under the most pressure in 2022:
From splashy free agent signings to overlooked coaching hires, here is every move the Jets have made so far this offseason:
The Jets went into the offseason with a lot of needs and made a lot of necessary moves in an attempt to fix those problems before the 2022 NFL draft.
Some issues remain, but Joe Douglas spent noticeably in free agency, pouncing on team-friendly deals with players that perfectly fit the system and culture he and Robert Saleh are trying to build in their second year together. The Jets also had a few coaching changes, among other moves.
Here, we recap every move the Jets made this offseason.
New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas and his staff are hitting 2022 free agency with a series of big wins. Here’s why it’s such a great haul.
New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas was asked a common question at the scouting combine: How aggressive will his team be in free agency?
“I would say, there’s a lot of different avenues, a lot of different tools to improve your roster,” Douglas said earlier this month. “Free agency is one of those tools. And so, I think we have a good opportunity. We have assets that we’ve acquired and we have financial flexibility. So again, there’s a lot of conversations that need to be had in the next coming days and weeks before this kicks off. But we’re gonna get this team better, any avenue we can.”
So far, the Jets have had hit after hit, at least when projecting these players to their new homes. In the comprehensive list of free agents put together by myself and Mark Schofield, Gang Green’s five signings to date — tight end C.J. Uzomah, guard Laken Tomlinson, cornerback D.J. Reed, safety Jordan Whitehead, and edge-rusher Jacob Martin — all got grades of at least A-, and there are three A+ marks on the list, which is the most for any team so far.
It’s obviously important for a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2015, and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010 — back in the Rex Ryan days.
Let’s take a look at each of these new Jets players, why they’re such great signings, and how they fit into what Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh and his staff wish to achieve in 2022…. and beyond.
Get to know a little bit about Laken Tomlinson — Gang Green’s newest star offensive lineman.
The Jets addressed one of their biggest needs during the first day of free agency, agreeing to sign Laken Tomlinson for three years and $40 million with $27 million guaranteed.
New York moved quickly to land Tomlinson, as the deal was reported shortly after Brandon Scherff agreed to sign with the Jaguars. Between his familiarity with Mike LaFleur’s offense and his overall skill set, the 30-year-old Tomlinson profiles as a fit on Gang Green’s offensive line.
Here are six things to know about the Jets’ newest star offensive lineman.
The Jets wasted no time addressing one of their biggest needs, agreeing to terms with OL Laken Tomlinson on the first day of free agency.
The Jets addressed one of their biggest needs during the first day of free agency, agreeing to sign Laken Tomlinson for three years and $40 million with $27 million guaranteed.
New York moved quickly to land Tomlinson, as the deal was reported shortly after Brandon Scherff agreed to sign with the Jaguars. Between his familiarity with Mike LaFleur’s offense and his overall skill set, the 30-year-old Tomlinson profiles as a fit on Gang Green’s offensive line.
Here are six takeaways from the Jets’ first marquee addition of free agency.
