The New York Jets find themselves at a surprising 5-2 and in the midst of a four-game winning streak following Sunday’s victory over the Denver Broncos.
Said win did not come without a major cost. Leading NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, running back Breece Hall, suffered a torn ACL in the game. A second-round pick out of Iowa State this past spring, Hall will now miss the remainder of his rookie season.
New York also lost starting right tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker for the season to a shoulder injury. A full-time starting guard during his rookie campaign with New York last season, the 2021 first-round selection had manned the right tackle spot this season.
In doing so, he was the Jets’ best offensive lineman. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the 11th-ranked right tackle in the NFL at the time of the injury.
These are two major blows for a Jets offense that still has its limitations with young quarterback Zach Wilson under center. With that said, there’s every reason to believe general manager Joe Douglas will be active ahead of the Nov. 1 NFL trade deadline. This team and its players have proven a lot of skeptics wrong.
In what was supposed to be another rebuilding year, the playoffs are nowhere near out of the equation. Below, we look at four trades the Jets could make to improve their roster.
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New York Jets acquire Jack Conklin
A two-time All-Pro dating back to his days with the Tennessee Titans, Conklin continues to play at a high level. He’s been among the game’s best right tackles since returning from a knee injury he suffered a season ago.
It remains to be seen whether Cleveland will listen on the impending free agent. But at 2-5, the team might decide it’s time to sell off some veterans as a way to recoup some of the draft capital it gave up in the Deshaun Watson trade. In the final year of his current contract, Conklin is one of the players the team would put on the block. In turn, New York would be on the hook for only a pro-rated amount of Conklin’s $8 million base salary for this season.
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Jeff Wilson heads to New Jersey
The San Francisco 49ers’ acquisition of All-Pro back Christian McCaffrey could very well lead to them moving off another player at this position. That’s especially true with 2021 sixth-round pick Elijah Mitchell set to return from injury at some point soon.
Perhaps, Wilson would be the odd-man out. He obviously has a built-in relationship with both Jets head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur dating back to their days with the former undrafted free agent in San Francisco.
Thus far this season, the 26-year-old Wilson has been pretty darn good for San Francisco. He’s currently on pace for nearly 1,300 total yards at a clip of 5.5 yards per touch. The only question here is whether San Francisco would entertain moving Wilson and what the cost might be to acquire such a productive young player.
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New York Jets pick up Laremy Tunsil
Remember, the Jets are without starting left tackle Mekhi Becton after he suffered a season-ending injury during training camp. Even before Becton went down, there were rumors that New York wasn’t happy with his progress as a blindside protector. Current left tackle Duane Brown is not a long-term solution given his advanced age of 37.
What does this mean? New York could potentially look to make a move that enables it to compete moving forward this season and into the future. That is to say, picking up someone who isn’t a rental.
It’s in this that New York could make a bold move for a franchise left tackle. We’re talking about stud Houston Texans blinside protector Laremy Tunsil. Just imagine how he’d work with Alijah Vera-Tucker once the latter returns from injury in 2023. New York is all in on Zach Wilson. Get him that plug-and-play left tackle who is under contract through next season and who is still in his prime. Even if it means yielding a first-round pick in 2023 and change, this is a move that would make a ton of sense for New York.
Related: Sportsnaut’s updated NFL trade rumors
New York Jets work out expanded blockbuster with the Browns
As we noted above, Cleveland could very well go into sell-off mode ahead of the Nov. 1 NFL trade deadline. Hyped up more than others, the Browns are reportedly listening to offers for running back Kareem Hunt. He’s unhappy about his role behind Nick Chubb in Cleveland and is entering the final year of his contract. He will not be back with the Browns in 2023.
- Kareem Hunt stats (2022): 263 rushing yards, 4.0 average, 15 receptions, 350 total yards, 4 TD
These are solid numbers for a RB2. Remember, Hunt also put up 1,145 total yards and 11 touchdowns while taking over for an injured Chubb in 2020. Why wouldn’t the Jets see if they can pry both Conklin and Hunt away from Cleveland? The two are on expiring contracts, meaning the cost wouldn’t be too much.