One of the many causes of the Jets offense’s putrid performances in 2012 was an offensive line that lost the thump it had when the team went to a pair of AFC Championship Games.
As part of the process of getting that line moving back in the right direction, the Jets drafted three offensive linemen last month. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports that one of those linemen, third-round pick Brian Winters, has signed his contract.
Winters played tackle at Kent State, but has already been given a ticket to the competition for the starting right guard spot. He’ll compete with Stephen Peterman and Vladimir Ducasse for a job with Willie Colon the odds-on favorite to start at left guard in 2013. Winters won’t blow anyone away with his athleticism, but the former wrestler wins a lot of battles right at the line of scrimmage and would fit well into the running game spearhead role once filled by Brandon Moore.
Winters will join the rest of the Jets rookies at this weekend’s three-day minicamp in New Jersey.