How the Connor McGovern re-signing affects the NY Jets roster plans

The NY Jets officially announced the re-signing of center Connor McGovern on Monday in a move that caught some by surprise. It's also a move that will have a significant effect on how the team approaches the 2023 NFL Draft.

McGovern has been the team's starting center for the last three seasons, and he was the only player on the Jets' offense to play all 1,114 snaps last year. He's been the model of durability and has, quite frankly, been a pretty good starter in each of the last two seasons.

The Jets had interest in signing Pro Bowl center Ben Jones, but for one reason or another, they opted to stick with McGovern. The team expected McGovern to have a much more lucrative market this offseason, but that market never developed.

Instead, McGovern will return to the Jets on what is likely a one-year deal. How does this affect the team's plans for the remainder of the offseason?

Could the NY Jets still draft a center after re-signing Connor McGovern?

For starters, re-signing McGovern obviously takes the Jets out of the running for Jones. A 2022 Pro Bowler and long underrated starting center, Jones had experience with new Jets offensive line coach Keith Carter and seemed like a potential great fit.

But with McGovern now back in the fold, the Jets aren't in the market for another veteran addition. This doesn't necessarily mean the Jets won't consider drafting a center, however.

If there's a center the Jets like on Day 2 or Day 3, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the team made a move. This does eliminate the need to draft a center, though. That increased flexibility is always important in the draft.

Re-signing McGovern suggests the Jets plan to run it back with mostly the same starting unit from a year ago, minus George Fant. Duane Brown, Laken Tomlinson, McGovern, and Alijah Vera-Tucker all appear to be penciled into starting roles.

The Jets seem to believe that their offensive line is better than how they performed last season and that injuries derailed the unit. Here's to hoping that they're right.

Another takeaway could be that the Jets are even more likely to draft an offensive tackle at pick No. 13 now. After all, would the Jets really want to run it back with the exact same starting offensive line with the addition of Mekhi Becton at right tackle? The answer is probably not.

McGovern is a quality starting center who has been extremely durable over the last three years. It's hard to be upset about the Jets re-signing a player like that for what is almost certainly a very cheap deal.

The move gives the Jets extra draft flexibility and perhaps hints at what the team plans to do in the first round. It may not have been the expected decision, but re-signing Connor McGovern is by no means a poor decision for Gang Green.