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          NFL Nation

          James Carpenter signing a head-scratcher for Jets

          • Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterMar 10, 2015, 08:20 PM
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              Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
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          A few takeaways on former Seattle Seahawks guard James Carpenter signing Tuesday with the New York Jets:

          1. General manager Mike Maccagnan wanted to come out of free agency with a starting guard. He shot for the stars, bidding for Mike Iupati and Orlando Franklin, but settled for the moon. Carpenter, a surprise first-round pick in 2011, hasn't lived up to expectations. He raised his game the past two years, elevating his value somewhat, but we're still talking about a player with holes in his game. Nevertheless, he landed a four-year deal for about $20 million, likely exceeding his own expectations.

          2. Carpenter likely will start at left guard, providing a veteran presence between center Nick Mangold and left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson. The past two left guards, Oday Aboushi and Brian Winters, probably will compete at right guard, making Willie Colon (free agent) expendable. So, yeah, Carpenter is an upgrade at left guard, but can the Jets feel comfortable with the right-guard situation? Remember, they now have to deal with Ndamukong Suh twice a year in the division.

          3. When Carpenter was picked by the Seahawks in 2011, his former coach at Alabama, Nick Saban, was seen on TV at the draft, mouthing the words, "James Carpenter was drafted in the first round?" Yeah, he was shocked, too. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider are smart dudes, but they reached for Carpenter, who washed out at right tackle before moving to left guard. He was a disaster in his first two seasons, missing 16 games due to a bad knee (an ACL tear in '12) and conditioning issues. He settled down and started 29 of 32 games, plus every game in Seattle's two Super Bowl runs, but he received only a modest contract offer from the Seahawks.

          4. Carpenter (6-foot-5, 320 pounds) is reputed to be a solid run-blocker, but he hasn't graded out well the past four years, according to Pro Football Focus data. Maybe the rep came from having Beast Mode running behind him. It'll be interesting to see how Carpenter adjusts from Seattle's power-running scheme to the Jets' system, which could be a spread offense. He allowed four sacks and eight committed penalties last season, according to PFF, which ranked him 47th out of 78 guards in 2014. He's still young (he turns 26 on March 22). The Jets believe his best football is ahead of him. It had better be.