The New York Jets found a replacement for retiring offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
ESPN reported Saturday that Denver Broncos reached an agreement to trade left tackle Ryan Clady and a seventh-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to the Jets for a fifth-round choice.
Clady, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, visited the Jets’ facility on Friday for a physical and an announcement is expected to come within the next few days, according to ESPN.
Clady reportedly agreed to a restructured deal with the Jets. His contract with Broncos had two years and $19.5 million left.
With Ferguson’s retirement, the Jets will have nearly $10 million in additional salary cap space. Ferguson announced this week that he was retiring after never missing a game in 10 seasons in New York.
The 29-year-old Clady has not been nearly as durable, sitting out 30 games the past four seasons with foot and ankle injuries. He missed the Broncos’ Super Bowl season in 2015 after suffering a torn ACL during offseason workouts.
At 6 feet 6 and 315 pounds, Clady is considered one of the better pass protectors in the NFL when healthy. But the question mark surrounding Clady is his durability.
The Broncos were willing to move Clady during the offseason after talks to restructure his contract were unsuccessful and they obtained tackles Russell Okung and Donald Stephenson.