Jets Rumors: Kelechi Osemele to Undergo Surgery for Shoulder Injury

New York Jets guard Kelechi Osemele will reportedly undergo surgery to repair a shoulder injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport added that Osemele began having shoulder issues "a few weeks ago." As a result, he missed the Jets' Week 5 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and Week 6 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

During Osemele's absence, Alex Lewis drew a pair of starts at left guard, and he will likely continue to serve in that role for as long as Osemele is out.

New York acquired Osemele in an offseason trade with the Oakland Raiders after he spent the previous three seasons in Oakland. The 30-year-old was a Pro Bowler in 2016 and '17 and a first-team All-Pro in 2016.

Before that, Osemele was a four-year starter with the Baltimore Ravens, winning a Super Bowl in 2013.

While the second-round pick out of Iowa State has long been a quality offensive lineman when healthy, he has battled injuries throughout his career. Osemele has only appeared in all 16 games in a season twice during his eight-year NFL career.

Last season, the Houston native missed five games with a knee injury, marking his most injury-plagued season since missing nine games with the Ravens in 2013.

Although losing Osemele for an extended period of time would be a major blow to the Jets' offensive line, Lewis is a solid replacement. The 2016 fourth-round pick out of Nebraska has 20 career starts, including 10 with the Ravens last season.

The biggest issue is that the Jets can ill afford another injury to the offensive line, especially at guard. With Osemele out, the only true guard behind starters Lewis and Brian Winters is Tom Compton, a former sixth-round pick who has only 29 starts in eight seasons.

New York has allowed the second-most sacks in the league this season with 25 despite the fact that it has already had its bye week. The return of quarterback Sam Darnold from mononucleosis helps in that regard since he is mobile, but he could be under fire as long as Osemele is ailing.