The New York Jets brought in two starting tackles this offseason. Did those moves permanently end Carter Warren’s hopes of starting for the Jets?
As the New York Jets deliberate on the fate of the 10th pick in the NFL Draft, a strong offensive tackle class gives general manager Joe Douglas plenty of options to add to the offensive line.
While Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt will likely be gone by the time the Jets are on the clock, Penn State’s Olu Fashanu, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga, and Washington’s Troy Fautanu all figure to be in the conversation.
Yet, a tackle taken at 10 means taking a player that won’t see the field until left tackle Tyron Smith or right tackle Morgan Moses fall victim to injury. Further, said selection would push second-year tackle Carter Warren from the next man up to being buried on the depth chart.
Joining Turn On the Jets, Rich Cimini spoke about buying into the hype with Warren and following the franchise’s (and fanbase’s) actions instead of their words.
“I thought he did okay last year,” Cimini said. “Now I’m looking at all the statistics, I should probably go back and watch more tape but … no.”
Among tackles that saw meaningful playing time in 2023 (246+ snaps), Warren ranked 82nd of 89 tackles. While he wasn’t getting himself into penalty trouble, his five sacks were the 23rd-most of that group. It was a rough season for the rookie, who was pushed into playing two positions, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road.
For now, though, it’s likely his playing time declines significantly in 2024.
“If the Jets thought Carter Warren could be their opening day starter, they wouldn’t have gone out and gotten Morgan Moses,” Cimini said. “So, could Carter Warren be their starter next year in ‘25? Yeah, he could be then, but they didn’t want to take the chance on starting him this year.
“They’re in win-now mode, and it’s kind of a shame because those are the kind of draft picks you gotta play, like he was a fourth-round pick, you expect a fourth-rounder to have a pretty good chance of being a starter for you someday.”
It’s worth noting that Warren could become a starter in the future. Sure, early Day 3 picks should become starters more often than they have in New York. But two seasons may be too early to decide whether the fourth-rounder was truly a miss on Douglas’ part.
The Jets will have to replace (or re-sign) Smith and Moses after the 2024 season. Drafting a tackle at 10 solves one of those questions. Perhaps right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker moves over to the other one. But the window for Warren to start could open again.
“Those are the picks where Joe Douglas has failed, those middle-round picks,” Cimini said. “Where are those guys playing … Carter Warren should be starting this year, but he’s not because they’re impatient and they gotta win-now, so they go out and get a Morgan Moses.”
Warren is a victim of the team getting better, but it’s hard to blame Douglas for pushing in the chips with a 40-year old quarterback under center. If the coaches continue to be impressed as they’ve claimed to be, he could be a name to watch in a year’s time.
