The Jets have their new starting left tackle.
Ryan Clady has been traded from the Broncos to the Jets, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The trade comes a day after news broke that D’Brickashaw Ferguson, the Jets’ starting left tackle for the last decade, has decided to retire.
According to Schefter, the trade will see the Jets ship a fifth-round pick to Denver in exchange for Clady and a seventh-round pick. That might not sound like much, but considering that Clady is due a $9.5 million salary and has missed 30 games in the last three years, the Broncos may feel lucky that they got anything for him.
If the 29-year-old Clady can get healthy and play like he did at his best, he may be an upgrade from Ferguson. But he’s almost as expensive as Ferguson, and a lot less durable than Ferguson. This is a trade that could bring a big benefit to the Jets, but with Clady’s injury history, it’s also a trade that carries some risk.
The trade also opens up cap space for Denver, and could help facilitate a trade for Colin Kaepernick.