Jets Trade LG P. Kendall to Washington Redskins

The deal is finally done. Any trade that does not end with Kendall on Miami’s offensive line is a win for the Jets. Given the recent spike in OG free agent contracts, the team should have paid him the extra $1M. Kendall was the best OG on the team, played well last year, and should have at least 1 good year left. But the Jets front office decided it was time to move on. Let’s see if the rookie OL J. Bender can open some running lanes against the Giants D-line in preseason game #3. If he plays well the Jets could be OK, but if A. Clarke is the starter the entire left side of the line could struggle as O-line play is not a simple sum-of-the-parts function.

The bottom line is that this move makes the Jets weaker in the near-term, but gives the team flexibility to improve the team for the long-term. Given that the Jets are unlikely to be an elite team as long as C. Pennington is at QB this approach may be wise.