Buffalo Bills: Ranking the offensive lines in the AFC East
By Rob Spehar
3) New York Jets
When the New York Jets signed Le’Veon Bell, their prized offseason addition in 2019, they seemed to have forgotten to build an offensive line up front to help him out. Bell ended up having one of his worst seasons in years. The Jets believe they have fixed that in the offseason via free agency and the draft.
The Jets started free agency off on the right foot by going after a center that was being wooed by other teams throughout the league. They won the sweepstakes and signed instant starter Connor McGovern from the Denver Broncos to a three year deal worth $27 million and $18 million guaranteed. McGovern is a stalwart and started all 16 games for the Broncos.
Selecting 11th overall in this years NFL Draft, the Jets landed Mekhi Becton. The big man out of Louisville who stands 6’7” and weighs in at 364 pounds. Although he has to work on his technique when it comes to pass protection, Becton will have no problem pushing defensive ends out of the way with his size and strength making lanes for Le’Veon Bell. His performance will go a long way in determining what kind of season the Jets offensive line will have.
The signings of George Fant from Seattle, Greg Van Roten from Tennessee, and the re-signing of Alex Lewis will be key. Not big names, but big guys that can make a difference. The real weak spot on the line seems to be at right tackle with Chuma Edoga. A third round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft was a bit of a shocker for the Jets and combining that with an up and down season justified the curiosity. He ended up starting 8 games and finished the season on injured reserve.
In the end, the Jets ended up making some moves to help both Le’Veon Bell and quarterback Sam Darnold. Once the season starts up, it remains to be seen if it will be enough to improve on last season.