NY Jets news: Braden Mann trade, another OL signed, Kevin Byard

The NY Jets made their biggest move of the offseason on Friday, re-signing punter Thomas Morstead. Morstead previously spent time with the Jets in 2021 while Braden Mann was sidelined due to injury but was released once Mann returned.

The 14-year NFL veteran is back after an excellent year with the Miami Dolphins in 2022, and that might be bad news for the incumbent Mann. In fact, shortly after it was revealed that Morstead had signed with the Jets, an interesting report came out about Mann.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Jets "have had trade discussions with other teams regarding" the former Texas A&M punter. It seems as though the Jets have all but replaced Mann.

If Joe Douglas can manage to flip Mann for any sort of draft capital, it might just be his most miraculous trade yet. And this is referring to the man who received draft picks in return for Jordan Willis and Blake Cashman.

Other NY Jets news

Jets sign OL Trystan Colon

The Jets made their second offensive line signing of the offseason on Friday, signing former Baltimore Ravens lineman Trystan Colon to a one-year contract. The former undrafted free agent was a fringe roster player in Baltimore and will likely compete for a roster spot this summer.

Colon has appeared in 20 games over the last three years, making four starts. He has experience playing all three interior offensive line spots — something the Jets clearly value, given the addition of Wes Schweitzer on Thursday.

The Jets are re-tooling their interior offensive line depth after losing the likes of Nate Herbig and Dan Feeney in free agency. They still don't have a starting center, but their depth is now a little bit stronger.

All-Pro safety Kevin Byard could be available

Tennessee Titans All-Pro safety Kevin Byard could be on the move this offseason after he refused to take a pay cut when approached by Titans management, per Schefter. It's hard to blame him, either.

Byard is one of the best safeties in football, having been named first-team All-Pro on multiple occasions. His 78.7 Pro Football Focus grade ranked ninth among all safeties in 2022, a year after he finished as PFF's top-graded safety.

Byard is a ball-hawking safety with 27 career interceptions (including five seasons with at least four) and exactly what the Jets need in the back end of their defense.

It's unclear how likely it is that Byard is traded or even released, but if he becomes available in any way, the Jets should be serious players in his market.