It’s no secret the Jets need offensive line help and it’s even less surprising to hear they’re one of the teams pursuing a trade for disgruntled Redskins left tackle Trent Williams.

With only two 2019 starters – tackle Chuma Edoga and guard Brian Winters – under contract, Joe Douglas and the Jets need to rebuild their offensive line from the ground up in order to better protect Sam Darnold. Acquiring Williams could be the first step.

Williams missed the entire 2019 season after he held out until October over contract and team disputes before the Redskins placed him on the non-football injury list to end the season. The crux of Williams’ displeasure with the Redskins revolved around the medical team downplaying a cancerous growth on his head, and he voiced that frustration throughout the season. Though the Redskins maintained their desire to keep him, they recently gave him permission to seek a trade this offseason.

The Jets need experienced veterans who can immediately upgrade the offensive line and Williams fits the bill as the perfect fit for Darnold’s blindside blocker. He’s played at an extremely high level since the Redskins drafted him fourth overall in 2010 and has been regarded as one of the best left tackles in the game since then.

But not every potential transaction is perfect. Williams has plenty of pros but just as many cons. The same goes for the move to trade for him. Giving up something for a player of Williams’ caliber is always risky, especially when a team is in the middle of a rebuild.

Pro: On-field production

You might not find a more consistent left tackle in football than Trent Williams. If you take out this past season, Williams is coming off of seven consecutive Pro Bowl seasons. He earned a pass-blocking Pro Football Focus grade of 80.0 or higher over the past six years of that stretch. 

He’s been exceptional over the past three seasons as well – only David Bakhtiari and Joe Staley eclipsed Williams’ 89.1 overall grade between 2016 and 2018 and he only allowed one sack between 2017 and 2018. Williams is elite and would be the best left tackle the Jets have seen since D’Brickashaw Ferguson retired in 2015.