New York Jets: Splashy Ryan Kalil addition solidifies offensive line

The New York Jets shocked the football world adding Ryan Kalil, a former All-Pro center, to their offensive line. Here’s why that’ll solidify the trenches.

The New York Jets made a blockbuster move to address one of its biggest areas of concern this week adding former Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil to the squad.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas said he would be using every avenue possible to add talent to this roster, not many people expected one of those avenues to be the un-retirement route.

Considering the Jets’ recent level of “success” (14-34 over the past three seasons) one might expect players to retire to get away from the team.

In a pleasant and surprising twist, however, veteran center Ryan Kalil opted to actually come out of retirement to sign with the Jets this week.

Stunning plot twist: Former #Panthers C Ryan Kalil will come out of his brief retirement to join… the #Jets, sources say. He’s agreed to terms, pending physical. A huge veteran influence to join QB Sam Darnold at a position of need.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 1, 2019

Kalil is not a small acquisition for the team either. The former Panther is a tried and true veteran, having played in over 140 games over a 12-year span. Throughout his career, he built quite the resume, making five Pro Bowl appearances and twice being named an All-Pro.

Jets fans should be very excited about this acquisition for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, the Jets took a major step to address a weak spot on their roster. The Jets offensive line has serious depth concerns this season, concerns that were further exacerbated by an injury to backup offensive lineman Brent Qvale. With Kalil now on board, the Jets have another solid option on the offensive line.

Second, Kalil provides veteran experience to a young Jets team. He will be an invaluable asset for Sam Darnold, providing protection on the field and wise counsel off of it.

Finally, the Kalil acquisition says something larger about the Jets organization as a whole. While the $8.4 million contract the team offered inevitably impacted his decision, Kalil nevertheless chose to come out of retirement to play for the Jets.

From Inside Training Camp: The #Jets filled a huge need by luring C Ryan Kalil out of retirement. The former #Panthers Pro Bowler is back. pic.twitter.com/DdAcZN91gh

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 1, 2019

Jets fans know what it’s like to see high profile players choose to not play for their team (remember Anthony Barr?). How refreshing is it to now see superstars like Le’Veon Bell and Kalil now eagerly embrace the green and white?

It may be too early to come to this conclusion, but perhaps having a promising young quarterback and a culture change (with a new general manager and head coach) is finally beginning to pay dividends. If nothing else, it’s not a bad look for the Jets to see them netting star players. And it surely will not hurt the product on the field either.

It is worth noting that Kalil (34) is old by NFL standards, and he has been slowed by injuries in recent years. Just the same, Jets fans should rejoice about this move. It improves their team’s play on the field and the organization’s reputation off of it. There is no real downside to be found here.