Originally posted May 3, 2023 at 23:32 ET.
Last updated May 4, 2023 at 03:01 ET.
The Jets announced late Monday that they have signed offensive lineman Billy Turner.
Turner, 31, was Aaron Rodgers’ starting right tackle in Green Bay from 2019-2021, when current Jets head coach Nathanial Hackett was with the Packers.
Hackett also coached Turner in Denver last season prior to to the Broncos abruptly firing him following a humiliating 51-14 demolition on Christmas Day at the hands of the struggling Los Angeles Rams.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reports that the deal is for one year and worth up to $3.15M.
Turner was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft. His best years came in Green Bay, where he rated 8, 9, and 9 in approximate value playing right guard and right tackle. (You can read more about approximate value and how it is calculated HERE.)
He was with the Broncos last season, where he lined up exclusively at right tackle. He was placed on IR after suffering a knee injury in week 10 and missed several games.
For his career Turner has appeared in 91 games with 75 starts, 5,041 snaps on offense, and another 205 snaps on special teams.
On Tuesday the Jets also declined OT Mecki Becton’s fifth year team option. The move was not unexpected. Becton counts for $5,869,197 against the Jets’ cap this season, and would have been due $13.565M in his option year.
Becton was drafted by New York with the 11th overall pick in 2020. He has appeared in only 15 games over three seasons due to injury, played just once in 2021, and missed all of last season.
Becton had this to say on Twitter regarding the Jets’ rejection:
(While Mekhi might be in MSG tonight rehabbing his leg, he will not be in the CassandraFuture Twitter feed, because he has us blocked. We have never contacted him in any direct fashion, including on Twitter.)
It’s not clear which side of the QB Becton will be lining up on to begin the season. In fact, it’s not clear where any of the Jets’ currently rostered offensive linemen, with the exception of Laken Tomlinson) will be playing. This is the Jets’ OL depth chart:
| LT: Duane Brown, Eric Smith, Greg Senat |
| LG: Laken Tomlinson, Wes Schweitzer, Chris Glaser |
| C: Connor McGovern, Joe Tippman |
| RG: Alijah Vera-Tucker, Trystan Colon |
| RT: Mekhi Becton, Billy Turner, Max Mitchell, Carter Warren |
Duane Brown was very much needed by Jets last season. After signing with New York in August, he came off the IRD in October and started 12 games at RT and LT. He will be 38 when the season begins and had offseason rotator cuff surgery.
Laken Tomlinson is in the second year of a 3 year/$40M contract ($23.9M guaranteed). He is 31. He’s played LG for almost his entire career, but saw some time on the right last year. Wes Schweitzer was signed in March on a 2-year, $5M deal to provide guard depth. He has bounced back and forth between the right and left sides of the line over his six year career with the Redskins and Falcons.
Connor McGovern re-signed with the Jets in April on a very team-friendly deal. The Jets drafted Joe Tippman with their second round pick in this year’s draft. The selection was a curious one, given that McGovern has played well for New York and was brought back only days before they decided to spend significant capital on rookie center Tippman. The Jets had far greater areas of need, in particular offensive tackle, inside linebacker, strong safety, and defensive tackle. Wide receiver could also have been addressed with that pick.
Alijah Vera-Tucker is a Jets 2021 first rounder. He had a solid rookie season at left guard. He began 2022 at right guard after the Jets signed Tomlinson, and also spent some time at left and right tackle. His season was cut short after he tore a triceps. He expects to be ready for training camp.
Then we arrive at RT, where things become complicated.
There’s Becton, who was very good as a rookie but hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Weight has been a huge concern for Mekhi. A year ago, former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason estimated his weight to be 400 pounds. Becton is assuring us that he’s excellent shape this year, but we’ve heard that before. He will likely not be ready until at least training camp as he continues to rehab his knee.
There’s the newly signed Turner, who could still be bothered by his knee, and who did not perform particularly well when he was on the field.
And then there’s rookie Carter Warren, whom the Jets drafted in the 4th round after passing (or missing out) on OT with their premium picks. Warren was the 10th OT on CFCP’s big board, and was drafted ahead of Jaylen Duncan, a tackle we had mocked in the early second round.
Ideally the Jets would begin the season with an in-shape Becton at LT, Tomlinson at LG, McGovern at center, a healthy Vera-Tucker at RG, and Duane Brown at RT.
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Becton | Tomlinson | McGovern | Vera-Tucker | Brown |
For now, though, with the concerns surrounding Becton’s availability and readiness, it’s possible that he will be fighting with Billy Turner for the starting RT job, with Brown remaining on the left side.
Vera-Tucker also might not be 100% to begin the season. He’s proven capable of performing at LG in the NFL, but most view him as a right guard this season with Tomlinson still around and playing at a high level.
At center, it makes sense to start McGovern while rookie Tippman develops behind him, but GM Joe Douglas “didn’t spend a second round pick on him to keep him on the bench”. (Or some similar cliché.)
As mentioned, Brown began last season on IRD and recently underwent a shoulder procedure to correct the issue. He played through the pain in 2022.
You can therefore swap these players really almost however you like. (With the exception of Tomlinson. We tried to move him to make our point finer, but barring injury he will start at left guard. Otherwise, go crazy.)
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren | Tomlinson | Tippman | Schweitzer | Turner |
Starting Warren or Tippman as Rodgers’ protectors seems crazy in any OL permutation, even if Becton and Vera-Tucker miss the season’s start. But it’s not out of the question for the Jets, especially if management believes it has something to prove after drafting a center too early and a OT too late. As we’ve said multiple times, the Jets can either construct a roster for now, with Rodgers on board for one or two seasons, or construct one for the future. They seem to be trying to do both at the moment, which makes no sense given their very small Super Bowl window, despite what Douglas has said.
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