NY Jets hosting Pro Bowl OT Duane Brown on a visit, per report

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Duane Brown / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The NY Jets are looking to make a late-summer splash in the form of Pro Bowl offensive tackle, Duane Brown. Brown is a five-time Pro Bowler who would help fill arguably the biggest need currently on the Jets' roster.

ESPN's Rich Cimini reported on Saturday that the Jets were set to host Brown on a visit and that he would be in attendance for the team's Green and White Scrimmage later in the day.

Brown is coming off a Pro Bowl campaign in 2021 that saw him start all 17 games at left tackle for the Seattle Seahawks, finishing with a more-than-respectable Pro Football Focus grade of 71.5.

The Jets have been in the market for offensive tackle depth this summer and nearly signed veteran swing tackle Riley Reiff before he joined the Chicago Bears. This time, they're hoping to land another big fish in a rather barren pond of free-agent offensive tackle options.

Duane Brown would be a crucial addition for the NY Jets

A former first-round pick of the Houston Texans way back in the 2008 NFL Draft, Brown has spent the last 15 years serving as one of the best left tackles in football. He's started over 200 career games, has made five Pro Bowls, and has been selected to three All-Pro teams.

Even at the age of 36 (he turns 37 later this month), Brown is still playing at a high level. In fact, his 71.5 PFF grade (still above-average for his position) was his lowest single-season grade since his rookie year nearly 15 years prior.

Now, Brown wouldn't exactly be your typical swing tackle. The 15-year veteran has never played a single snap at anything other than left tackle in his entire NFL career.

The Jets are fortunate enough, however, to have two starting tackles who could play on both sides of the offensive line in George Fant and Mekhi Becton. The decision to bring Brown in is also likely indicative of both players' durability concerns.

Both Fant and Becton are coming off major knee surgeries, and Fant, in particular, still hasn't been full-go in team drills. The Jets are clearly taking it slow with Fant's rehab and the addition of Brown would help ease a lot of concerns about the depth behind him.

Right now, the Jets have been trotting out the likes of Conor McDermott and Chuma Edoga at left tackle while rookie fourth-round pick Max Mitchell has received the majority of snaps at right tackle with the second and third-team offenses.

The Jets need offensive tackle depth, and it isn't every day that you can sign a 15-year NFL veteran coming off a Pro Bowl season in August. This one needs to get done.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.