Jets Depth: Swing Tackle

Here's an interesting article from CBS asking important questions about how each team's depth stacks up. Football is obviously a game where injuries are prevalent so depth can be the difference between a successful year and a disappointing one. We'll go over some of these questions in the next few days. Here's the first one.

Does your team have a real swing offensive tackle, a guy that can play left or right tackle and has experience?

The short answer is no.

The longer answer is it depends on how real Oday Aboushi's reported improvement is. It's generally a good idea to turn a skeptical eye to reports of somebody showing strides at OTA's. OTA's are much easier than games so progress usually recedes.

At the guard position I have more of an open mind. One strategy teams use is investing third day picks at guard. These players contribute minimally as rookies, but the position is such that big improvements in years two and three are not uncommon. Odds are Aboushi will not turn into a player, but you never know.

Let's say Aboushi's improvement is substantial. Then he will probably take the starting guard spot currently owned by Willie Colon. The injury-prone Colon might be better off in a backup role where his work load is reduced. Remember, he has experience at both guard and tackle. Even more, he has experience playing really well at both spots. He would become a high quality backup everywhere but center and give the Jets that swing tackle.