New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh made a comment that appeared to hint the team is ready to explore options to make a major trade or signing for the offensive line.
This week, Mike Greenberg with ESPN documented the Jets’ offensive line struggles and thought the team should try and trade for Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari. While most of the team is stacked, the Jets’ offensive line is a question mark. And that’s a troubling scenario for a team that extended extensive capital to bring 39-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers to New York.
The New York Jets need better offensive tackle play
Rich Cimini with ESPN wrote about the offensive line in a report Sunday. Cimini thinks the offensive line (including the tackle spot) is the Jets biggest weakness heading into the season. Saleh has expressed the Jets have time to experiment with the lineup and make their current roster for offensive line work.
But Saleh, like any NFL coach, wants to see the results sooner rather than later.
Cimini dropped a quote from Saleh that alludes to him and the front office considering using alternative methods, like, say, a trade, to improve the offensive line:
“My optimistic side will say we have time,” Saleh said. “Duane is coming back, there’s still a lot of pieces and we’ve got some cards in our back pocket that we can use. But as a coach, you want it done yesterday.”
Rodgers helped to stack Saleh’s deck when he took a pay cut to ensure the Jets could add pieces to the roster to make them more competitive this year.
The Jets could use the extra cap space to sign a free agent. But there aren’t many good options left on the market. The best option for the Jets would be to add an offensive line via trade.
Would the Green Bay Packers trade David Bakhtiari to the Jets?
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Greenberg’s comments on Bahktiati to the Jets ignited a firestorm of public opinion on the possibility. Some Packers fans, irritated with Bakhtiari’s continuous rehab process and high salary, would like to see the team move on from Bakhtiari.
However, most of the Packers fanbase would prefer to keep Bahktiari after they kept him post the June-1st designation. As Matt Schneidman with The Athletic pointed out, sending Bakhtiari to the Jets would help New York’s overall record, giving the Packers a lower pick in the first or second round. And the Packers would miss on protecting Jordan Love with the best-left tackle in the league.
The Packers have a vested interest in keeping two quarterbacks healthy this season. Love, of course. But the Packers need Rodgers to play 65 percent of the Jets’ offensive snaps if they want New York’s first-round pick in 2024.
Bakhtiari is clearly the best option at left tackle if the Packers want insurance for that first-round pick.
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