New York Jets free agency target Duane Brown got his biggest contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
Much like the last offseason, the theory is that general manager Joe Douglas would prefer to enter Week 1 with some veteran depth behind George Fant and Mekhi Becton. After all, the Morgan Moses move was a huge success in 2021, why not repeat the same strategy this summer?
The first potential free agency target was Riley Reiff, who emerged as a candidate in early June. Unfortunately, Reiff decided to sign with the Chicago Bears on July 26.
There have been a couple of other names, such as Eric Fisher or Jason Peters, but next on most fans’ wish lists has been Duane Brown, a five-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro out of Houston. Texans and Seattle Seahawks. Well, Gang Green Nations, he’s expected to be in the building tonight, August 6.
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ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed the story that spread like wildfire on the Jets’ Twitter feed. “Free agent OT Duane Brown is visiting the Jets and will be attending the Green & White game tonight, according to the source,” he reported. “Brown is a former Pro Bowler who started every game last season for the Seahawks. And turns 37 on Aug. 30.”
Free agent OT Duane Brown is visiting the #Jets and will attend the Green & White game tonight, per source. Brown is a former Pro Bowler who started every game last season for the #Seahawks turns 37 on Aug. 30.
At the height of his career, Brown signed a $53.4 million contract with the Seahawks in 2012 and remains a big name on the overtime market despite his age.
Many reacted to this big news on social media, including NFL Heavy member Matt Lombardo.
Duane Brown is a perfect fit and makes even more sense given the #Jets’ significant concerns about George Fant being able to return to full health and effectiveness in time for Week 1.
Fans may be thinking: Fant? I thought this was a Becton problem. To be fair, it’s both, but the veteran is actually more of a concern at this point. His knee surgery occurred much later than Becton’s and Fant has been limited during offseason practices. He should be ready for Week 1, but left tackle insurance would be nice.
Michael Nania of Jets X-Factor also noted why a Brown signing would be more closely related to Fant than Becton: “Duane Brown has never played an NFL add at RT, so it would be interesting to see if he would be open to backing up both. Either way, this would be a big upgrade. It seems like he was still respectable last year and it would be great for the locker room as well.”
Duane Brown has never played an NFL add at RT, so it would be interesting to see if he would be open to backing up both sides. Either way, this would be a huge upgrade. It sounds like he was still respectable last year, and it would also be great for the locker room.
If the Jets do indeed sign Brown, rookie Max Mitchell, a natural right tackle, could still act as Becton’s backup, assuming he’s ready. That would provide quality depth on both ends of the offensive line heading into the regular season.
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The unfortunate casualties of a Brown contract would undoubtedly be current reserves left tackle Conor McDermott and Chuma Edoga. The latter has outperformed the former in training camp so far, but neither has been as impressive.
Hence Brown’s presence in tonight’s game.
It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if a staff favorite and hard worker like McDermott returned in a veteran role on the practice squad, but Edoga is less likely to stick around.
The former third-round pick in the 2019 draft class shows signs of some untapped potential. He also just turned 25. That usually translates to another franchise taking a shot at a player, considering good offensive tackles are few and far between.
As a Mike Maccagnan draft bust, Edoga actually overstayed his welcome under the Douglas regime change. This signing would almost certainly act as the final nail in the coffin.
