Have we found our solution at RT here? He seems to be having a solid stretch of games. He is a big upgrade over Wayne Hunter, and it's refreshing to see the QB have some time in the pocket. He's not perfect, but I'd say he's at least average for an RT in this league. Should we consider going RT in the draft?
I havent been watching him closely, especially in the run game so I was thinking about starting a thread on him to see what everyone else has noticed...? He's young so he can definitely develop so even if he is average he could be our future at RT; everybody on the OL can not be all-pro's.
There's more to it than not allowing sacks. Like Slauson blows at pulling and Moore is always a step slow so our run game suffers. But as far as compared to Hunter.........it's a noticeable difference.
I wasn't watching him closely either but I think the fact that he hasn't been noticeable is solid evidence that he's doing a decent job. As far as the draft, there's no reason not to draft another RT if there's one on the board that's BPA when we're picking. They still need depth.
Hes actually a Tackle and not an under weight Hybrid tight end Playing line man ; which is exactly what Hunter was. It is a good feeling to not have to worry about him.
Unless he's BPA by at ton, I dont see why we should in the 1st 3 rounds. IMO Guard is a bigger problem with Moore and Slauson a FA and Vlad still being a question mark (although improved). We need 2 OLB's, a RB, possibly a TE, G, FS and maybe a CB depending on Revis. Most of all though we need playmakers on offense (obviously included in RB). Tavon Austin would be a great addition in the 2nd or 3rd... Percy Harvin type player. But on Austin, he has let up some pressures but has definitely been better than Hunter. At 25, he has time to get better and hopefully he can be our future at RT.
It's like baseball: The best catchers are the ones who go unnoticed the entire game. Howard is the same way. He may not be making unbelievable blocks, but if you are not hearing his name being called, then he's doing what he needs to do. He's making the blocks and sticking with his man. Remember, he was also part of the OL who opened up all those holes yesterday for Greene. He must be doing something right
If Howard truly is a viable long term replacement, I think this eases off a lot of pressure to draft O line. Instead of gunning for 2 early OL draft slots, we can probably be ok drafting one. If Ducasse also pans out this year at guard, we would just need to draft for depth, which would be a great position.
I agree, there are plenty of other needs that I'd rather see addressed first, especially in the first 3 rounds, I'm just saying that drafting another RT shouldn't be automatically ruled out if Howard continues to be solid all season.
He struggles a little with the hard outside speed rush but that can be compensated for with a little help. You never see him getting walked back to the QB and shed or completely ole a pass rusher like Hunter often did.
Howard is very up and down right now, but could be the long time answer if he develops some consistency. He looks better against the pass than in run blocking. He will be a monster there if he maintains his pad level. I love his movement for a man of his size though.
No ones tossing Howard around like a rag doll. Thats pretty much what happened to WFH on a regular basis.
I don't see the Jets drafting a RT early. We have needs at LB, HB primarily. We need to fix those and then get best available for S and OLine in the rest of the draft.
The Jets have to draft a developmental OL though. The Jets may not desperately need an OL like it looked like they did, but for this offense to run the way Rex wants it run, we could really use one more road grader on the OL.
Don't know if anyone has notice that Smith kid in on heavy packages as a run blocker and help for Howard. Wondering if we could somehow develop him into a solid RG behind Moore.
