Jets should target Ryan Jensen in free agency

The New York Jets need help on their offensive line, especially at center. They should target potential free agent Ryan Jensen to fill an immediate need.

Make no mistake about it, the New York Jets need a lot of help when it comes to their offensive line. Easily the weakest link based on last season is center Wesley Johnson. Not only was he unable to be a consistent center but was one of the big reasons why the Jets offensive line was terrible in pass protection and their rushing attack left much to be desired.

It doesn’t matter who the Jets have as their starting quarterback next season, if they have another year of bad play from the center position, it’ll be another long year of below standard play. Considering that Johnson is set to be an unrestricted free agent, the Jets will more than likely part ways with him and either address the void via free agency or the 2018 NFL Draft.

Should the Jets want to add a better center via free agency, Ryan Jensen of the Baltimore Ravens comes to mind. At just 26-years-old, Jensen is an unrestricted free agent with a tremendous amount of upside and above all else, consistency.

Jensen started every game last year for the Ravens and was solid with his above-average play. He’s good in pass protection and did his part to help establish the ground-and-pound game of the Ravens. Considering that Jensen will more than likely hit free agency to see what his market value is, bodes well for the Jets to easily land a major upgrade on their offensive line due to having over $100 million in salary cap money to play with after they make some key player cuts.

More from Free Agency

• NY Jets: Why the team should target cornerback Shaquill Griffin
• NY Jets: Why the team should not cut Jamison Crowder
• NY Jets should try to sign Kenny Golladay in free agency
• NY Jets: Jonnu Smith would be a smart free-agent target
• NY Jets expected to be ‘much more aggressive’ in free agency this year

In the grand scheme of things, football games are won or lost in the trenches. If you have a good center that can set the tone for the rest of the offensive line, it will result in more victories. The Jets have historically never had to worry about the center position for decades but after they released Nick Mangold, the search is still on for a player as consistent and durable.

Jensen is a young center that is a high-quality starter and would easily be an anchor on the Jets offensive line for years to come. Since the free agency market isn’t full of other centers of his caliber, it’s expected Jensen will get a big contract and long-term stability. Hopefully, the Jets are able to acquire his services since he brings a lot to the table for a team desperate to have a center that can hold down the fort year in, year out.