The New York Jets are on the verge of signing veteran center Travis Swanson, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Tuesday morning.
Swanson spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Detroit Lions, starting in 42 games during that stretch. He will provide much-needed depth at the position after the team signed Spencer Long earlier this offseason.
Formerly of the Washington Redskins, Long hasn’t been able to establish any kind of consistent contributions at the NFL level, starting 31 games over his four years in the league.
Per analytics site Pro Football Focus, he received a grade of 56.0 last year in seven games, which falls under the “poor” designations.
But the loss of starting center Wesley Johnson, who signed with the Lions, left an enormous void in New York’s offensive line, making Long a considerable upgrade given how poor they performed last year.
Per PFF, the Jets’ offensive line ranked 30th out of 32 teams in the NFL, surrendering 177 pressures and 47 sacks.
While Swanson provides another option behind Long, it isn’t necessarily a better one. The 27-year-old received a grade of 43.1 by Pro Football Focus, ranking No. 32 among all centers in the NFL. That made him one of the worst starting centers in football last year.
