In the Week 10 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, the New York Jets benched Tyron Smith because of a neck injury. However, one analyst is arguing the team should make that a permanent move to the bench for the rest of 2024.
Joe Caporoso said on social media that Olu Fashanu “Should start every game at LT [left tackle] the rest of the way.”
The Jets Have Not Gotten Their Bang for Their Buck on Smith
Until Smith got hurt against the Cardinals, he had appeared in 100% of the snaps this season.
The Jets signed him this offseason to a one-year deal with a maximum value of $20 million heavily based on playing time incentives. Gang Green thought the only potential issue with Smith would be his ability to stay on the field.
That part of the equation hasn’t been an issue for Smith, he had perfect attendance. The problem has been performance. There is no way to sugarcoat this, Smith has been awful this season.
On social media, Connor Hughes of SNY shared that Smith allowed his seventh sack of the season against the Cardinals. That is the second-most sacks he has ever given up in a single season. The only year that was worse was when Smith first entered the NFL as a rookie back in 2011 he allowed eight sacks, per PFF.
There are still another seven games left in the 2024 season.
It Took an Injury for the Jets to Do the Right Thing
Despite 2024 being a win-now year, the Jets had an eye toward the future when they invested the No. 11 overall pick in the first round to take Fashanu out of Penn State back in April.
Throughout Fashanu’s entire life, he has played the left tackle position. However, with the Jets signing Smith, there was no clear path for the rookie to be the left tackle in 2024. Instead, he became the break-the-glass emergency depth option.
This season, due to injury, he has gotten reps at right guard (37) and right tackle (159), per Pro Football Focus.
Fashanu is the long-term left tackle for the Jets. That is the position he will play more times than not over the next five years. With Smith hurt, it looks like Fashanu will finally get his chance to play the position he was drafted to play.
Interim Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich revealed on Monday, November 11 that Smith was getting an MRI for his neck injury.
Whether Smith is healthy or not, it’s time for the Jets to make a business decision. It’s not easy to bench a player that is going to have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day. However, Fashanu is clearly the better long-term answer, and in the short term you have to let him ride through the turbulence of a rookie campaign.
Fashanu is going to be here next season, Smith probably isn’t.
The Jets making the playoffs in 2024 appears to be a longshot which means the rest of this season the team has to evaluate who is worth building around and who isn’t.
