Breno Giacomini on the outside looking in

The New York Jets might have a new starter on their offensive line as tackle Breno Giacomini is on the outside looking in due to a decline in play and now injury.

Unfortunately for Breno Giacomini, he might find himself not only starting the regular season on the PUP list but also in danger of losing his starting offensive tackle position on the New York Jets. As per Darryl Slater of NJ.com, Giacomini is dealing with a lingering lower back strain injury that hasn’t allowed him to practice with the team as of late.

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It’s a pretty serious injury for an offensive lineman and Giacomini is on the outside looking in. For the past few years with the Jets, he’s been on the decline when it comes to being efficient on their offensive line. He’s not consistent and this injury as of late is hindering his progression to improve but also losing valuable time with building cohesion with his fellow linemen.

The Jets did their due diligence and have been holding a competition for Giacomini’s starting spot between Brent Qvale and Ben Ijalana. At this point in time, either candidate is actually an upgrade over Giacomini since they’re been working hard all throughout training camp to rise to the occasion in 2016.

The writing could be on the wall for Giacomini as it will be hard for him to regain his starting position on the Jets depending on how long it takes for him to fully recover. Should Qvale or Ijalana win the spot, they would have to be inconsistent and have poor performances to warrant giving Giacomini an opportunity to return.

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According to Slater, the Jets are considering adding another veteran offensive tackle for quality depth.

To win plenty of football games is to win the battle in the trenches as the Jets know having depth is important.

Expect to see the Jets possibly add another offensive tackle soon as insurance for the long season ahead.

There is no timetable for Giacomini’s return as the Jets might want to consider keeping him for depth due to his starting experience.

It also wouldn’t make sense to release him anytime soon due to the salary cap hit the Jets would take ($5.6M as per Spotrac.com). Even head coach Todd Bowles recently chimed in his thoughts on Giacomini and the competition currently taking place for his starting position. Here’s what he had to say courtesy of the Media Relations Department of the Jets:

On if he still thinks Breno Giacomini will be ready for the start of the season…

I honestly have no idea. It’s getting close and he’s not practicing yet so we’ll see.

On if Giacomini is getting better…

Unless he’s practicing, he’s not better.

On what Giacomini can’t do…

He can’t practice.

On the competition between Brent Qvale and Ben Ijalana…

They’ve been going back and forth so this game will be big. They’ve got two premier defensive ends over there so it will be good to see them go up against those types of people.

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Overall, this doesn’t bode well for Giacomini in the grand scheme of things. If he’s injured and can’t practice, it won’t give the coaches any indication that he’s able to handle starting duties. At the end of the day, injuries are a part of football but once you can’t play up to par and are sidelined due to them, it’s incredibly hard to bounce back from.