Jets 2018 Roster Countdown: Number 61 Spencer Long

Spencer Long is next up in our Jets roster countdown.

Name: Spencer Long

Number: 61

Year with Jets: 1st

Projected Role: Starting center

His 2017: Long was limited to seven games due to quad and knee ailments. That didn’t stop the Jets from offering him $27.4 million over four years hoping he can regain the form he showed during a quality 2016 season.

2018 will be a success if: Long can provide an effective anchor for the offensive line. It isn’t a secret that Wesley Johnson’s play was the biggest problem on the line last year for the Jets. I don’t think it would be fair to blame all of the unit’s woes on Johnson. Plenty of other players struggled in their own right, but poor play on the offensive line does tend to have a ripple effect. It magnifies the issues in other areas. The Jets spent on Long to avoid having that happen again.

Odds of making the roster: The contract the Jets signed Long was the best structured deal Mike Maccagnan made all offseason. It gives the Jets an escape hatch after each season of the contract in the events things do not work out. But the Jets signed Long to be their starting center for 2018 so this year he is a Lock (>99%).