hen Olu Fashanu was selected by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, he didn’t appear to have a path to a starting job.
However, Jordan Reid of ESPN boldly predicted that will change soon.
“Jets offensive tackle Olu Fashanu will start at some point during the first quarter of the season and keep the job from that point on. Even though the Jets brought in Tyron Smith this offseason, he has struggled to stay healthy,” Reid explained in a column posted on Friday, May 10. “That trend continues and Fashanu takes over, which will just be the beginning of his Pro Bowl-level rookie season.”
Smith Has a Long Track Record of Injuries With the Dallas Cowboys
General manager Joe Douglas’ top task this offseason was to rebuild the offensive line. He lured one of the best offensive tackles in NFL history in free agency to fill the hole at left tackle.
Smith, 33, is a decorated player with five All-Pro nominations and eight Pro Bowl selections throughout his career. The only bugaboo has been the injury bug.
The former USC product has missed 49 games in his 13-year NFL career. Smith has missed at least three games in eight straight seasons.
The Jets being aware of those statistics factored that into the contract they offered Smith in free agency. He agreed to a one-year deal for $6.5 million with incentives built into the contract that can increase the total value to $20 million.
The majority of that money is directly tied to playing time incentives. To reach any of them, Smith has to appear in at least 38% of the offensive snaps, per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
“Honestly, I’m just excited to be on this team and have the opportunity to continue playing,” Smith explained via Randy Lange of the Jets. “Yes, the way the contract is speaks to what’s been happening the past couple of years. Honestly, I think it’s a fair deal. I’ve just got to out there and prove I can play to the high level they expect me to.”
The Jets are swinging for the fences. If it works they will be more than happy to pay the iron price to Smith. However, if he can’t stay on the field, the team is protected.
Fashanu Earns High Praise From ESPN Analyst
Not only does Reid predict that Fashanu will steal the starting job of one of the best to ever do it, but he also shares a high projection for him.
Only six offensive tackles get the call for the Pro Bowl. That is three OTs per conference. If Fashanu cracks that rotation or is in the conversation, that has to be great news for the Jets.
Fashanu could have entered the 2023 NFL draft and been a first-round pick according to experts I’ve spoken with.
Penn State head coach James Franklin even admitted that he advised Fashanu to leave the team this past offseason.
“I kind of went through all the presentations [and] all of the evaluations that I had. Olu’s mom took her hand & put it across my chest & said, ‘thank you very much coach Franklin, we appreciate your recommendations but Olu always planned on being in college for 4 years, he has not graduated yet, he’s not leaving without his degree. We appreciate all this information it’s really valuable information but Olu is coming back’,” Franklin told Jets senior reporter Eric Allen. “And I said, yes mam, yes mam.”
Fashanu returned to Penn State and went from being a first-round pick to a top-11 pick in the 2024 class.
