Why Right Guard Is Most Wide-Open Battle in New York Jets Starting Lineup

Thanks to a litany of offseason moves, the New York Jets have addressed nearly all of their most glaring needs. If the New England Patriots weren't in the same division, it would seem all too obvious to peg the Jets as the front-runner to be a "worst-to-first" team in the AFC East in 2015. 

Despite all their moves, right guard is one spot that was never filled. 

There could be a battle at outside linebacker between rookie Lorenzo Mauldin and veteran Calvin Pace, but that's not really as "wide-open" as the battle at right guard; Mauldin is the clear-cut front-runner to win the starting job at OLB. There might have been a battle at cornerback, had the Jets not signed both Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie. There could have been a battle at left guard, too, were it not for the signing of former Seattle Seahawks guard James Carpenter.

But at right guard, the Jets are juggling no fewer than five possible answers, each of them with their own unique set of question marks. 

Veteran guard Willie Colon is the incumbent, and has started in all 32 regular-season games he's been with the Jets. But Colon isn't going to be handed his old job on merit alone. In fact, the 32-year-old guard finished the 2014 season with a minus-16.3 grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 66th out of 78 qualifying guards last season. 

Colon's range of training camp outcomes spans from potential starter to roster cut; with a one-year contract at $950,000 with only $65,000 guaranteed, the Jets could move on from Colon at next to no penalty—or they could maximize the value of that contract by having him start every game. 

Brian Winters was the starting left guard in 2013 and for six games of the 2014 season until he suffered a torn ACL. Winters is entering a make-or-break season for the Jets, according to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini, which makes sense after earning a cumulative minus-42.7 grade from PFF over the past two seasons (minus-27.4 in 2013, minus-15.3 in 2014). He has allowed 11 sacks in 18 starts in that time.

After Winters went down, Oday Aboushi filled in as the starting left guard and played admirably. The 2013 fifth-round pick allowed just two sacks in his 10 starts last season. Aboushi earned opportunities at both left guard and right guard in training camp, according to Cimini, so his ability to play at both spots could work in his favor in the long run.

So could the injury status of his closest competitors: Colon said he ran out of gas at the end of the 2014 season while dealing with nagging injuries, according to Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media, and Winters is still rehabbing his torn ACL. 

Even when considering the injury factor, it's logical for all three—Colon, Winters and Aboushi—to finish as the starter. 

Even with all three in the lead in the competition, there are several others who could fight for the job. The Jets used a fourth-round pick on Dakota Dozier in the 2014 NFL draft, and he had opportunities to work at both guard and backup center in the spring, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media. 

There's also rookie Jarvis Harrison and veteran James Brewer, two dark horses who could be making noise when the competition begins. Harrison's experience in a spread offense at Texas A&M could help him get acclimated to offensive coordinator Chan Gailey's system with the Jets, but his work ethic has to improve. He was described as a "knucklehead" by three scouts, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. 

The Jets have 80 percent of a starting offensive line, but as we've seen before (see right tackle Wayne Hunter, 2011), that 20 percent can be enough to cripple an offense. Without a legitimate answer at right guard, the Jets could be facing some push in the pocket from opposing defensive lines.

The true test will come in the regular season, but before that, the Jets have to study up on their right guards and hope that they come up with the right answer.

Unless otherwise noted, all salary-cap and contract information provided by Over The Cap. All advanced statistics provided by Pro Football Focus.