Jets starting right guard Brian Winters, who missed this week’s joint practices with the Redskins, will likely miss the rest of the preseason. This report comes in contradiction of head coach Todd Bowles saying on Sunday that Winters could play this week.
New York is clearly being very cautious with Winters because of his injury history, including an abdomen injury that he tried playing through last season, before shutting it down late in the season.
[lawrence-related id=837616]So, what does Winters’ absence mean for the Jets offensive line?
It may not seem like a big deal to miss preseason games but for an offensive line, chemistry and cohesiveness are everything. In addition to Winters being out, the Jets are also missing starting left tackle Kelvin Beachum and there is no timetable for his return right now. So, at the moment, New York is missing 40 percent of the starting offensive line.
To make matters worse, the Jets are installing a new scheme under offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates and run game coordinator, Rich Dennison. The team is moving from a power-run blocking scheme to a zone-blocking scheme, predicated on outside runs.
Not having Winters and Beachum for the entire preseason could lead to a lot of sloppiness on opening night for a unit that underachieved a season ago.
In the meantime, it looks as if Jonotthan Harrison may start in Winters’ spot against the Redskins on Thursday night as he took Winters’ reps the last few days in practice.
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