New York Jets Linked To Veteran Offensive Lineman Amid Injuries to Starting Unit

What the New York Jets plan to do at the trade deadline remains uncertain. Despite winning on Thursday night, the Jets’ chances of making the playoffs still seem slim.

If the Jets had proven throughout the past couple of years that they could put together an impressive winning streak, many would feel differently. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, and New York fans are right to question whether they have the chance to do so.

That doesn’t mean the Jets should stay quiet during the deadline. If one thing is for certain, they’ve dealt with a few injuries throughout the past couple of weeks, and that’s an issue.

Even if they aren’t in a position to make the playoffs, they might need a guy or two to fill the holes left by those injuries.

There may also be opportunities out there for them where they wouldn’t have to trade any assets or existing players to land somebody who could make a small impact for them.

Among those players is free agent La’el Collins, who Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department urged New York to sign on Monday.

“The win is a welcomed development for the Jets, but it did come at a cost. The injuries are starting to pile up along the offensive line, and things got worse with Jake Hanson and John Simpson both leaving the game. At one point, they had rookie Olu Fashanu playing guard, and Connor Hughes of SNYtv noted that it looked like Morgan Moses was having to tell Fashanu what he was doing every play. The Jets might want to call up La’el Collins’ agent and see what he’s up to. The 31-year-old has starting experience a both guard and tackle.”

Collins is certainly past his prime, but if they wanted to give a former starting offensive lineman an opportunity to see if he has anything left in the tank, there aren’t many better options that wouldn’t cost much.

When Collins was at his best, he wasn’t an All-Pro or Pro Bowl-caliber player, but there aren’t many of those on the market.

If it weren’t for some of the injuries he’s suffered, he’d likely still be in the league. 

At the very least, the Jets could bring him into their practice squad for a few days and see if he could help out.

If he could, putting him on the active roster wouldn’t be a bad decision, as he’s only 31 years old and could be an option they keep around in 2025.