Former Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil came out of retirement to help galvanize the Jets offensive line and serve as a mentor to Sam Darnold. None of that really played out the way anyone hoped, though.
Kalil’s season ended Saturday when the Jets placed the veteran offensive lineman on season-ending injured reserve.
Kalil attempted to return to practice this week after injuring his knee in the Jets’ 29-15 loss to the Jaguars in Week 8. Jonotthan Harrison will take over as the starter, as he has for the past two weeks.
GM Joe Douglas made Kalil his first big-ticket free agency signing, hoping that Kalil would provide some leadership to the Jets offensive line. That didn’t sit well with the rest of the Jets offensive linemen, who had grown accustomed to working with Harrison.
Kalil was never able to return to his Carolina form and struggled to build chemistry with the rest of the room. Rather than serve as a stabilizing force on the line, Kalil had clearly lost a step and only hurt New York’s efforts in the trenches.
Douglas’ first gamble was costly, as the Jets will end up paying Kalil $6.7 million.
To take Kalil’s roster spot, the team signed OL Leo Koloamatangi off the practice squad.
