Kelechi Osemele’s season could be coming to a close after making three starts for the Jets.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Osemele will have surgery on his injured shoulder. Adam Gase said last week that surgery was not an option for Osemele, but clearly, his shoulder isn’t healing the way the Jets want it too.
Osemele was acquired by the Jets in a trade from the Raiders back in March for a fifth-round pick. At the time, it was a huge pickup for Mike Maccagnan, as he was trying to upgrade the Jets offensive line. However, Osemele and the rest of the O-line have underperformed.
The 30-year-old guard has one year left on his deal but has no more guarantees left, so the Jets can move on from him after this season. If the Jets were to cut Osemele next season, they would not be on the hook for any of his remaining salary.
With Osemele down, that means Alex Lewis will permanently take over the left guard position for the Jets. He has started the last two games and performed quite well. While losing Osemele is not ideal, he may not have even got his starting job back if he were healthy.
To replace Osemele on the roster, the Jets are signing S Blake Countess, according to multiple reports. The four-year pro spent the summer with the Eagles before getting injured. For his career, he has two interceptions in 37 games.
