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The New York Jets ended their 2023 NFL preseason schedule with a record of 2-2. They ended their alternating four-game run with a 32-24 win over the New York Giants on Saturday. Jets quarterbacks Tim Boyle, Zach Wilson and Aaron Rodgers finished the win with a combined 261 passing yards and three passing touchdowns. Jets wide receiver Xavier Gipson led the Jets with a total of 79 receiving yards on seven receptions.
The Jets must make a few key decisions before Tuesday's 53-man roster cut deadline. New York released safety Dane Cruikshank on Friday. It will need to find the right players to keep its defense rolling after it allowed 3,220 passing yards in the 2022 season, putting it in third place in the NFL, according to NFL.com.
What is one last-minute trade the Jets should make before the start of the 2023 NFL Season?
Trade for James Hurst
The Jets will need extra help on the offensive line to jumpstart their offense before the start of Week 1.
New York's offense earned a Pro Football Focus pass block rating of 59.2 and a run block rating of 52 in 2022. The figures put them at 29th and 27th in the NFL, respectively. They allowed 42 sacks last season, putting them just ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.
Offensive tackle Mekhi Becton earned the start at the right tackle for Week 1 on Saturday.
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“He's doing all of the right stuff. He has a lot of energy. He's speaking the right language. He has a lot of positive self-talk,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said of Becton, via NFL.com Lead Draft Writer Eric Edholm. “He's in the training room every day working on that knee and making sure that it's always fresh and ready to roll. He just has to stay on it and he can't get complacent with where he's at now.
“He has a lot to play for. He has gotten better every single day. He has gotten more confident in his knee. He hasn't played in two years, so for him, it's just a matter of mastering his techniques and getting himself back into the flow of the game.”
Offensive tackles Duane Brown, Billy Turner and Greg Senat made up the three options at left tackle on the Jets' unofficial depth chart. Brown, a 15-year NFL veteran and former first-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, played and started in 12 games for the Jets in 2022. The five-time Pro Bowler played in 744 snaps for New York last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Guards Laken Tomlinson, Wes Schweitzer and Brent Laing make up the team's options at the left guard. Tomlinson earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl games in 2021 as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
Hurst played and started in 16 games for the New Orleans Saints in 2022. The 10-year NFL veteran played in 913 snaps at the left tackle and 58 as a left guard in 2022. Hurst and former Pro-Bowl offensive lineman Andrus Peat are listed as potential starters on the Saints' depth chart. Offensive lineman Trevor Penning, a former first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, took the starting spot at the left tackle.
Hurst could add veteran experience and depth at either the left tackle or guard spot if the Jets can acquire him for a fair price. He has over 135 games of NFL experience with the Saints and Baltimore Ravens. He earned a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 76.6 and a total of five sacks in 2022. He could be a solid option behind Brown or Tomlinson, further bolstering a Jets offensive line that saw the additions of center Joe Tippmann and tackle Carter Warren in the 2023 NFL Draft.
