Jets Bench Struggling Tackle Wayne Hunter

The Jets have had their fill of right tackle Wayne Hunter. Rex Ryan officially benched the bumbling tackle, and he will now serve as back-up to Austin Howard.

Hunter, who came off a horrible year at right tackle in 2011, has done nothing to squelch speculation that his job security was in jeopardy after playing horribly this pre-season. The Jets gave up seven sacks last week, and a few of them were Hunter's fault.

Howard is very young, 25. He was signed off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad last season and has played in only four NFL games when he was a member of the Eagles.

If Howard struggles at right tackle this week when the Jets play host to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, then the Jets will have no choice but to look outside the organization for help.

The only saving grace for Gang Green is that training camp is coming to a close and the team will be cutting players. There is a chance that a tackle could end up on the market, but how good that player will be is anyone's guess?  NFL teams will never release a solid tackle, even if he is not a starter; teams worry about depth at this point in the season.

The Jets lack depth on the O-line, especially at tackle. They never addressed this issue in the draft and tried to trade for Jeff Otah, who played in only four NFL games in four seasons in Carolina because of health issues. Otah failed his physical with the Jets, negating the trade.

If Howard doesn't work out, the Jets could also go back to Hunter, or they could ask Vlad Duccase or Matt Slausen to try the tackle position. This is going to get mighty interesting.