Every NFL team’s most surprising cut candidate

New York Jets — Duane Brown

The New York Jets are all in on this season. They had strengths across the roster, with superstars at wide receiver, running back, cornerback, defensive line, and offensive line. The issue was they had Zach Wilson, Mike White, and Joe Flacco under center. This offseason, they added Aaron Rodgers to fix that issue. It would be fun to say that Zach Wilson could be the surprise cut candidate, but the Jets made it clear that’s completely unlikely.

So, let’s look down the list. On the offensive line, there’s a lot of money going around. Laken Tomlinson and Duane Brown both make $10+ million per season. The rest of the offensive line is pretty great. Mekhi Becton is still on his rookie contract. Alijah Vera-Tucker is in the same boat.

With so much talent on the offensive line, can they afford to save money with one of their most expensive members? The Jets can save more than $9 million if they cut Brown at this point.

Head coach Robert Saleh said recently it would be “hard to push Brown out the door,” but it’s not his decision. The Jets have Beckton, who can play left tackle. They have Billy Turner and Greg Senat who could be decent in elevated roles. They would certainly survive without Brown on the line.