Duane Brown, the Jets’ answer to Mekhi Becton’s knee injury will be facing his own questions in 2022, mainly whether the soon-to-be 37-year-old can still perform at a high level and protect young quarterback Zach Wilson.
Brown is out to answer those questions in his 11th NFL season.
“There’s not many people that play to this age, so those criticisms are well warranted,” Brown said. “I’m not going to talk about what I’m going to do as much. I just get on the field and prove it. That’s what I plan to do.”
Brown, who signed a two-year deal with Gang Green shortly after it was reported that Becton would miss the entire season, was a Pro Bowler in 2021 at 36 years old, and started every game of the season for the second straight year. He will look to help stabilize an offense that, like the Jets as a whole, will be loaded with youth, one of the reasons the aging Brown elected to sign with New York.
“I think the Jets have a lot of young talent and a lot of potential,” Brown said. “Myself and coach Saleh worked together in Houston early in our careers, and I just watched him in San Francisco and always had a lot of respect for him. When he came here, a lot of guys talked about how great he was…I like the culture he was building.”
Brown will take over the left tackle spot that was previously awarded to George Fant, but Fant will now move back to right tackle. Interestingly enough, it was Brown who the Seahawks acquired from the Browns in 2017 shortly after Fant was lost for the year in the preseason with a torn ACL. Now, Brown is coming to the Jets to help a banged-up offensive line and line up alongside his former teammate.
Brown doesn’t anticipate any awkwardness with Fant despite slotting into his position with the preseason already underway.
“George and I are great friends,” Brown said. “We’ve been friends since we were together in Seattle. We’ve always talked regularly since he’s been here. We’ve been in communication throughout this process. I have all the respect in the world for him. He’s a great player. He has a mutual respect for me as well. The situation how it’s played out isn’t easy for anybody, but he’s handled it greatly, and I’m grateful it hasn’t been that awkward for us. We’re on great terms.
“We realize the way our line is set up right now, we have the potential to be a really good one, and he’s embraced it.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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