Needy teams when it comes to the offensive line are looking at Will Beatty, who was released by the New York Giants at the end of last season, and could end up playing for division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, or the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars have worked him out and have already offered him a contract, and now it’s a matter of leverage, and how much the Eagles will offer him. Beatty missed all of last season with a torn pectoral, which explains why it took him this long to start picking up interest. But preseason games and training camp injuries highlight the real needs and problems for teams around the league, re-opening the door into the NFL for him.
The Jaguars were one of the worst teams last season when it came to protecting their quarterback. Their main goal this offseason was improving the protection in front of Marcus Mariota, signing Kelvin Beachum from the Pittsburgh Steelers, movie Luke Joeckel to guard and adding Jeremy Parnell to the right side, which means Beatty is likely going to be a swing tackle, after playing as left tackle for his entire career with the Giants.
The Eagles need is a more recent one, fearing the 10-game suspension Lane Johnson might receive if the ‘b’ test of his sample comes back positive. They have Dennis Kelly and Matt Tobin to fill in the role, but Doug Pederson doesn’t seem enthusiastic about either one.
Beatty has never been exceptional for the Giants, playing his entire career with them (2nd round pick in 2009). He established himself as a starter in 2011, and from 2012 to 2014 didn’t miss a single game. The 31-year old has 82 appearances overall, 63 of them as a starter.