The New York Jets announced the signing of center Travis Swanson today. Financial terms of the deal were not released.
We have signed C Travis Swanson.
MORE → https://t.co/rzho9o47D1 pic.twitter.com/n9p1cYTriy
— New York Jets (@nyjets) April 4, 2018
New York Jets Sign Travis Swanson
Swanson initially entered the league as a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2014 NFL Draft. Swanson appeared in all 16 games as a rookie, but only managed to break the starting lineup five times. However, he’s served as the Lions starting center every season since 2015.
When healthy, the Arkansas product had been one of the better centers in football. He’s a good enough run blocker and has done a good job of keeping quarterback Matthew Stafford standing upright. However, keeping him healthy has been something of an issue. Since becoming a starter, Swanson has missed at least two games per season, while ending 2016 and 2017 on injured reserve.
His previous two seasons ended prematurely due to concussions. While it’s never good to finish the season on IR, concussion issues are in a world of their own. Now more than ever, the world knows just how dangerous brain injuries like concussions can be. With concussions ending Swanson’s two previous seasons, there’s no guarantee how long Swanson will play before suffering another.
For what it’s worth, Swanson has interestingly disputed his second concussion. Despite undergoing concussion protocol and being diagnosed, Swanson claims he never suffered a concussion in 2017. Instead, Swanson claims that he had a negative reaction to the medication, which led to his concussion-like symptoms lingering.
Whether Swanson was telling the truth or simply trying to build up his market is anyone’s guess. He reportedly had medical documentation to support his claim, but it’s a strange situation all around. Whatever the truth may be, there’s no disputing his 2016 season ended due to a head injury. Moving forward, hopefully, Swanson can avoid any additional traumatic head injuries.
