The worst kept secret in the NFL has become impossible to ignore.
Wayne Hunter is simply not cutting it, and the New York Jets‘ need for a right tackle, virtually ignored all offseason, has become as pressing a need as there is in football, two weeks before the start of the regular season.
All along, the Jets believed in Hunter, believing that he can reach his athletic potential and play like the tackle he showed he could be during the stretch run of the 2010 season and postseason.
Last season, as the fulltime starter for the first time in his career, Hunter was anywhere from average to awful on a weekly basis, and he hasn’t quelled any of those fears so far this preseason.
With the free agent market for tackles as barren as can be, with no solution in sight, the Jets’ hands are tied as far as potentially replacing Hunter with anyone outside the organization.
While it’s still very much a possibility that the Jets will scour the waiver wire once other teams make their upcoming roster cuts, the Jets’ best option right now could be second-string tackle Austin Howard [above].
The 25-year-old Howard, a massive 6’7, 330 lb specimen who spent most of last season on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, was mighty impressive in the first preseason game, where he started for the injured Hunter.
“You look at a guy like this, anybody that can play the way [Austin Howard] plays is trying to tell you something,” said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. “You’ve got to find a way to get him out there.”
Howard’s been earning more reps with the first-team offense over the last few weeks, and after Hunter’s disastrous performance in last week’s preseason game, it’s becoming a real possibility that Howard could take over fulltime.
August 22, 2012 8:28 am via WhoSayReplyRetweetFavorite
While there’s nothing set in stone right now, Hunter’s officially on notice now, and Austin Howard has been the beneficiary of the open competition.
Wayne Hunter missed Tuesday’s practice for what Ryan called “personal reasons,” and it was Howard who again got first-team reps and looked pretty good doing it.
At this point, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Howard get a legitimate chance to take the reigns at right tackle and potentially be the Week 1 starter for the Jets when they kick off for real in September.
The Jets will quietly look for outside help, but right now, Austin Howard may be the leader in the clubhouse when it comes to the starting right tackle spot.
If that means no more Wayne Hunter, Jets fans will take it any way they can.
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