Pete Carroll

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll listens to a question as NFC football coaches meet with the media during the NFL's annual meeting, Wednesday, March 25, 2015, in Phoenix. (AP Photo | Ross D. Franklin)

PHOENIX -- Amid all the Jets' high-profile additions to their secondary, they also added a new guard to their offensive line in free agency.

You can understand why, with the return of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, the acquisition of James Carpenter would fly under the radar.

But how Carpenter blends into the Jets' line, either at left guard or right guard, will be a key storyline for their offense this spring and summer.

The Jets got inconsistent performances last season from right guard Willie Colon, who will compete for a roster spot this offseason. They haven't gained a lot of answers at left guard over the past two years, while starting Brian Winters and Oday Aboushi.

Can Carpenter alleviate some of those concerns?

His former coach, Pete Carroll of the Seahawks, spoke about Carpenter on Wednesday at the NFL's annual meeting. Carpenter, the No. 25 overall pick by Seattle in 2011, experienced four uneven seasons with the Seahawks, before he became a free agent.

During Carpenter's rookie season, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during practice, ending his season after nine games. He played seven games in 2012, when he moved from right tackle to guard. He played a full season in 2013, with 10 starts, but was limited to 13 games in 2014.

Can he stay healthy with the Jets? Carroll believes Carpenter's career is on the upswing, after a slow start.

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"I think Carp made it through a lot of stuff," Carroll said. "He had some difficult injuries. He got hurt in practice one day, and it was a very, very difficult injury. To get right and to get physically back was hard for him, but he did it. He made it through.

"Carp did a very nice job for us. He played good football for us. There are just very difficult decisions that you're faced with at the end of the season each year, and that was one of them, and we weren't able to keep him. But other than that, I think he played his best football at the end and he did a nice job for us."

Carpenter last season was rated the 47th-best offensive guard in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, as he spent all year at left guard. He checked in at 65th in the PFF ratings in 2013, when he was also a left guard. He was 64th in 2012, as a left guard. In 2011, as a right tackle, he was rated 65th in the league among tackles.

Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.