What’s that old saying about “when you have two quarterbacks, you don’t really have any”? Does the same hold true with the left tackle spot?

New York Jet fans should really hope that isn’t the case, if so.

The Jets currently have seven offensive tackles on the roster and that doesn’t include Alijah Vera-Tucker, who was phenomenal at the position when he was forced to move outside due to injuries. Seven. Unless new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett has some super-secret extra-large jumbo package, or the Jets plan to use an offensive tackle rotation like the defensive tackle rotation, seven is just too many. Especially when most of them feel they are true starters.

Currently on the roster the Jets have Duane Brown, the 37-year-old coming off rotator cuff surgery, the bathroom selfie machine/former first round pick Mekhi Becton, the free agent acquisition who knows Nathaniel Hackett’s system Billy Turner, the surprise of the 2022 draft Max Mitchell, the New England Patriot cast-off Yodny Cajuste, the 4^th round pick out of Pitt Carter Warren and journeyman Greg Senat (okay, Senat really isn’t part of this conversation).

Offensive line is one of the unique positions in all of sports where you need to win your individual matchups, but you also need to play cohesively as a unit within the team. Does having seven tackles bode well for cohesion and chemistry?

Early in OTA’s, former Jets 1^st round pick Mekhi Becton began his social media campaign to let the fans and coaches know he WAS the left tackle for the New York Jets. This week, Duane Brown had a similar stance.

“It’s not something I’ve practiced over the years,” Brown said of a right tackle role, via ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “Not to say I can’t do it, but I’ve been solidified [at left tackle] for a while.”

Both players come with question marks. For Brown, his age and mediocre 2022 campaign combined with his rotator cuff injury may lead to him losing the left tackle spot. For Becton, the idea that he can be counted on for anything but finger pointing, blustering and bathroom thirst trap pics is a stretch. Neither player is signed past this season.

Max Mitchell played well in his rookie year when shoved into the starting lineup and then dealt with blood clot issues, but he appears to be healthy at the start of OTAs. Billy Turner played with Rodgers for the Green Bay Packers and then for Nathaniel Hackett for the Denver Broncos. He started seven games last season.

Cajuste started only five games in his career for Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Carter Warren plays really well in the pass game, but he has some injury history and is already 25-years-old.

All of this is to say, the Jets have a lot of bodies and a lot of question marks along their offensive line, especially at the tackle spot.

To muddy up the waters even farther, ESPN writer Matt Bowen believes the Jets should trade for Jonah Williams, who lost his left tackle job when the Bengals brought in free agent Orlando Brown Jr. 

Why, Matt? Jonah Williams would add nothing but another level of drama and confusion. Is Williams definitely better than Brown or Becton? No. Could he be? Sure. But unless the Jets are bringing in a no doubt upgrade at the position, bringing in another body doesn’t help.

When camp is over and the pre-season dust settles, the likely outcome is the Jets starting Duane Brown at left tackle and Billy Turner at right tackle. Becton will not only have to show the team he is healthy but play better than Brown to unseat him for the LT spot and it likely won’t happen. Robert Saleh called Brown “a hard out” at the left tackle spot.

The Jets in all likelihood would love to give Becton the spot as he is younger and was drafted in the first round by the Jets, but with Aaron Rodgers in the fold and the Jets' Super Bowl window open for only a short time, it’s much more important to play for the now than to play for the future.

Featured Image via Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports