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          NFL Nation

          Jets sign LT Kelvin Beachum as offensive line overhaul continues

          • Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterMar 11, 2017, 02:05 AM
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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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          The New York Jets finally jumped into the fray Friday night, signing their first two free agents -- left tackle Kelvin Beachum and kicker Chandler Catanzaro. They also re-signed Tanner Purdum, their long-snapper since 2010.

          Terms: Not immediately available.

          ESPN 150 ranking: Beachum is No. 76 on the list. Catanzaro isn't ranked.

          Grade -- C-plus (Beachum): He was the fourth left tackle in the ESPN 150 to come off the board. The Jets aimed higher than Beachum, pursuing Russell Okung, but he wound up signing with the Los Angeles Chargers for four years, $53 million. Presumably, they paid a lot less for Beachum, who is coming off a sluggish year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's not a geezer -- he'll be 28 on opening day -- so there's that. He will replace Ryan Clady, 31, whose option wasn't exercised. The Jets were interested in Beachum last year as a replacement for D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

          What it means: The Jets are serious about overhauling their offensive line. They parted ways with Nick Mangold, Breno Giacomini and Clady, re-signed Brian Winters (in January) and Ben Ijalana and added Beachum. When they re-upped with Ijalana on Thursday (two years, $11 million), it was thought that he'd play left tackle. But now the job belongs to Beachum, who doesn't have prototypical left tackle size -- 6-foot-2, 303 pounds. Ijalana will compete with Brandon Shell at right tackle, adding to the depth and versatility of the line. The Jets know it's not a good left tackle class in the draft, which explains why they invested in a free agent.

          What's the risk? Beachum tore an ACL while playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in October 2015, and he experienced residual soreness throughout last season. The Jets believe he'll revert to his presurgery form now that he's more than a year removed from it. The knock on him is that he's not a thumper in the running game. Statistically, the Jaguars were an average running team, but they had success to Beachum's side. They averaged 4.84 yards per carry (11th) while running toward left guard and outside left tackle, according to ESPN Stats & Information. A quick thought on Catanzaro, a curious acquisition: The Cardinals opted not to tender him after a subpar season in which he made only 75 percent of his field goals and missed four PATs. He had a tendency to get down on himself. That he had two long-snappers and at least three holders may have contributed to his problems.