08/23 — The Jets are in the process of completing a trade with the Washington Redskins for 12th-year-veteran guard Pete Kendall.

"We reached agreement in principle to trade Pete Kendall to the Redskins last night," said Jets head coach Eric Mangini in announcing the trade at his late morning news conference today. "Obviously each night Mike [Tannenbaum] and I meet, get together and discuss possibilities. When this deal presented itself, we thought it was a good opportunity." He said he expects the trade to be finalized today.

Mangini declined to disclose what the Jets will receive in compensation from the Redskins, their frequent trading partners lately, saying "We keep those things internal," but he stressed, "We were really comfortable with the value we got in the trade."

The coach said he met with Kendall on Wednesday night as the deal was coming together.

"I wished him well and he thanked me," Mangini said. "It was a really good, positive conversation. ... I've said a lot of times I did value the contributions Pete made. He did a lot of good work last year. Talking to him last night, I thanked him for those contributions and wished him well."

The trade puts the Jets' left guard position in the hands of Adrien Clarke, who started the first two preseason games; sixth-round rookie Jacob Bender, who has been getting reps with the first offense this week, and Wade Smith, who has played the position before.

"Guys have worked with the first group, the second group, inside, outside. That's a standard part of what we do. Just because that changes within a day or a few practices, there's no specific meaning there," Mangini said of Clarke's and Bender's time at the position. "We've played rookies on the offensive line, and rookies have come in and done a good job. It's not unique to the Jets or to my experience. I feel very comfortable with the depth we have there."

Kendall is now in position to move in at starting left guard on an O-line that already has Randy Thomas, a Jets starter from 1999-2002, starting at right guard.

Also listed on the Redskins' left guard depth chart are Todd Wade, the one-time Dolphins second-round pick, and Jason Fabini, a starting tackle on the Jets from 1998-2005. In fact, Fabini started at LT alongside Kendall in 17 of the Green & White's 18 games in 2004 and the first three games of '05. Having left the Cowboys for the Redskins, Fabini is now listed only as a guard.

Other former Jets on the 'Skins roster include WR Santana Moss, S Omar Stoutmire and LB Khary Campbell.

The Dolphins also had been rumored to be interested in Kendall. The Jets didn't trade him within the AFC East, but they did send him to a team they will face in Game 9 on Nov. 4 at the Meadowlands.

This is the third trade the Jets have executed with Washington since Tannenbaum became general manager. Last year the Jets acquired QB Patrick Ramsey for a sixth-round pick and on draft day they swapped their second-round pick, 35th overall, for the Redskins' second- and sixth-round picks in that draft and the 37th pick in the 2007 draft, which the Jets ultimately traded to the Bears to acquire RB Thomas Jones.

We'll have more on the Kendall trade and the reaction from the Jets players following today's closed practice that is scheduled to begin at 12:15 p.m.