Add Greg Van Roten to the long list of free agent offensive linemen the New York Jets have shown interest in this offseason.
The New York Jets need to address their offensive line this offseason. The whole league knows the Jets have to address their offensive line, and they’re planning accordingly.
The free agent offensive line market is always strong. The expected price for players like Graham Glasgow and Joe Thuney is going to be extraordinarily high. It’s possible that general manager Joe Douglas wins those battles and spends the majority of his cap space, but it’s also possible he whiffs on the biggest names.
According to Connor Hughes of The Athletic, the Jets have explored at least one potential plan B.
Joe Thuney & Graham Glasgow are obviously atop the #Jets wishlist once the legal tampering period begins Monday. Another name I’d keep an eye on: Carolina’s Greg Van Roten.
Jets have done their homework on him, I’m told. Makes sense, too. He’s likely in that $8-$10m APY range.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) March 10, 2020
Greg Van Roten isn’t expected to command high-end money on the free agent market. He’s a solid second-tier option on the market if the Jets fail to sign a big fish.
Van Roten took a long journey to find NFL stardom. He went undrafted in 2012 and bounced around the league. In 2015, Van Roten moved to the CFL where he played for two years before returning to the NFL.
He finally found a home with the Carolina Panthers in 2017. The following year, he finally earned a chance to start. Over the last two years, Van Roten has started 27 games, allowed four sacks, and was only called for three penalties.
In 2019, he only played in 11 games due to a dislocated toe. In those 11 games, he didn’t allow a single sack and a was called for just one penalty.
The big issues with Van Roten are his age and lack of experience as a starter. Van Roten is already 30, but only has two years of starting experience.
Giving Van Roten a relatively big free-agent contract would be a huge risk. Given the state of the market, it might be a risk the Jets have to take.
