Offensive lineman like Orlando Brown Jr. (four years, $64 million to the Cincinnati Bengals), Jawaan Taylor (four years, $80 million to the Kansas City Chiefs), and Mike McGlinchey (five years, $87.5 million to the Denver Broncos) signed big free agency contracts last offseason. Although there aren’t as many offensive lineman in this class of free agents, many of them will soon be paid well because of supply and demand. The Los Angeles Rams have already signed guard Kevin Dotson to a three-year, $48 million agreement, eliminating one excellent free agent possibility.
Smith is still very excellent when he plays. The problem is that he hasn’t participated in a complete season of play since 2015, and at age 33, durability often doesn’t improve. The Jets signed one of the top left tackles of this era despite the danger of injury in the hopes that Smith would provide them with more of an impact than the six games he played in 2020 and 2022 combined. The Jets need offensive line help.
Brown is still a valuable tackle since he can still play the position. Age and injuries are concerns for Brown (who turns 31 the next season), but he’s still a top-tier run blocker with 93 career starts under his belt, so if he stays healthy, he can be a reliable member of an offensive line.
He has experience on his side, unlike some of the other offensive lineman available in free agency. Because he is only 26 years old, he was able to negotiate a big contract, reportedly for three years and $57 million, to stay in New England. In addition to starting at guard and tackle, he played right tackle for the majority of the previous campaign and had a good campaign. Many teams with salary-cap flexibility and offensive line issues will prioritize the excellent 350-pound former sixth-round draft pick.
Although Hunt was selected by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, he primarily played right guard despite having experience at tackle. Despite only playing 11 games due to a hamstring injury last season, he was ranked as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-best guard. Just before the upcoming season, he will turn 28 years old, so when he joins a Carolina squad in dire need of front-row protection, he should still have many peak seasons left.In 2017, Zeitler became the highest paid guard in NFL history when he inked a five-year, $60 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. This time around, he won’t be signing a record-breaking contract, but he is still a dependable player who recently made his first Pro Bowl. Even though Zeitler will be 34 years old the next season, he can still be useful to a team that needs a guard.
