Pro Football Focus will be providing analysis for every major NFL signing and trade during the 2015 free-agency period, accounting primarily for the quality of the player and his fit with his new team and focusing less on the financial terms of the deal.
Here is the grade for the reported deal between James Carpenter and the New York Jets, which cannot become official until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Grade articles on every major deal
New York Jets: C-plus
The weak point for the Seahawks these past few years has been the offensive line, and Carpenter didn't help their case. He started his career at right tackle before finding a home at left guard. As his career has progressed, he has improved his pass protection, as his lone sack allowed during last season came in the Super Bowl. He had a pass-blocking efficiency number of 96.9, which was 19th best of 59 qualifying guards.
The problem for Carpenter has been his run blocking, where he has graded out below-average all four years of his career, including a minus-6.3 mark in 2014. Unlike his pass protection, he has yet to show much improvement there during his career.
On the bright side for the Jets, he will be a slight upgrade over Willie Colon. While Colon has had a great career at guard, he had a down year in 2014. He had a minus-16.3 run-blocking grade, which was among the bottom five of the league, and he also led all guards in penalties at 14. With the top few guards already off the market, Carpenter was one of the best remaining options to replace Colon despite an uneven career to this point, so this signing is understandable -- but don't expect Carpenter to have a significant impact on the Jets' offense, particularly not in the running game.