New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas could breathe a sigh of relief after learning that right tackle Morgan Moses would avoid injured reserve with his knee injury. But there's a good chance he felt vindicated, too.
Critics called out the Jets for drafting a backup offensive tackle, Penn State's Olu Fashanu, with the No. 11 pick, just weeks after acquiring two established veterans to bookend the offensive line. They could have taken tight end Brock Bowers, or a speedy receiver to complement Garrett Wilson on the boundary.
Instead, they hedged their bet up front and took a tackle, hoping to provide insurance in Year 1 and stability at the position down the road.
Fashanu got to play in Week 3's contest, filling in for Moses at right tackle. He was stellar, winning at the point of contact against the run and seamlessly picking up stunts to keep quarterback Aaron Rodgers upright.
It's safe to say the quarterback took notice.
"I don't like to do a lot of comparisons, but I will in this case," Rodgers said, via SNY. "From the beginning I felt like he reminded me a lot of D'Brickashaw (Ferguson) personality wise, and then the consistency. Obviously I didn't play with Brick, but I know people that did and I watched him from afar. And it always felt like he was so consistent week-in and week-out. He wasn't getting beat a lot, he was in the right place, he was good in the run game, he was good pass blocking."
Ferguson went to three consecutive Pro Bowls during his 10-year career, all of which was spent in New York. He didn't miss a game, epitomizing consistency as one of the best left tackles in the sport.
The Jets hope Fashanu can match, if not surpass, Ferguson's prowess. For now, he's preparing to start at right tackle for a few weeks in Moses' absence. After his handful of snaps on Thursday, it's easy to be optimistic about what's to come.
Notably, Fashanu is a left tackle who is learning to play right tackle from the jump. That the team trusted him over backup right tackle Max Mitchell, continuing to put more on his plate in the first few months of his professional career, is telling.
"And it's just never been too big for Olu," Rodgers continued. "He's been consistent every day, if he makes a mistake, he doesn't make a repeat mistake – his attitude, he's very quiet, he kind of goes about his business. So I think he's in a good spot.
"Obviously he's played a lot of left tackle, but he's played right tackle for us in training camp and on the look team the first three weeks, so I'm very confident in Olu."
