When It Comes To Offseason Priorities, Tis Better That The Jets Find One Who Can Receive
Maybe one day the Jets will get this whole football thing right, like the once woebegone Bengals did this season.
Sure, Cincinnati fell a little short of the ultimate glory in losing Super Bowl LVI to the Rams on Sunday, 23-20, but they found the formula for long-term NFL success only two seasons after going 2-14. It’s been 53 years since the Jets reached that level of an achievement.
Certainly hitting on their franchise quarterback bet in 2020 No.1 overall selection Joe Burrow was the predominant factor in the Bengals’ turnaround, but I’d argue that the next step was arming him with the weapons necessary to succeed—in particular, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
The LSU product taken with Cincinnati’s No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft was instrumental in helping Burrow take a giant leap this season. As a rookie, Chase ranked third in the league with 13 touchdown receptions and graded out as the 10th-best at his position by ProFootballFocus.com. He’s had some issues with drops (10%, the 13th-most among receivers with at least 50 targets) but the impact from his dynamism has been incalculable.
Why can’t the Jets ever get anyone like that? Well, not since Santana Moss at the dawn of the century, before he was traded to Washington four seasons after getting drafted. Brandon Marshall was otherworldly as a trade acquisition in 2015, but that was a one-hit wonder. And no, Robby Anderson was never a true No. 1 receiver here.
It was why I had hoped Jets General Manager Joe Douglas would have chosen a potential one from among a highly-touted 2020 Draft class with the 11th overall pick. Now, to be honest, I was most stricken—without having access to all off-the-field evaluations--by Henry Ruggs III, who is now awaiting trial for causing a death while driving under the influence. Still, there were so many other ways for Douglas to go other than selecting tackle Mekhi Becton, who has his own issues staying on the field, and then waiting to take receiver Denzel Mims in the second round. In contrast with Becton, Mims hasn’t been worth putting on the field when healthy.
If the Jets really want to develop quarterback Zach Wilson properly after a lousy rookie season, this needs to be fixed. This offseason.
It wasn’t that long ago that receivers were considered a domicile for divas, too reliant on others to be considered a premium position. Three years ago, the Patriots won a Super Bowl without a single receiver amassing more than 850 yards. The season before, the Eagles took the title using Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor as their main wideouts.
No more. We are in the era of the game-breaking receiver. The Rams went 79 yards for their game-winning touchdown drive, 53 of them courtesy of Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp (including penalty yards), who was routinely forced to beat double teams after Odell Beckham Jr. went out in the first half with a knee injury. Everyone knew who was getting the ball on that do-or-die possession, and he couldn’t be stopped. With 1:25 remaining, Kupp slipped out to the right sideline of the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown grab.
Again, it’s not just the Bengals and the Rams--go down the list of the eight teams that made the divisional round, Notice how each possessed a big-time receiver—in addition to Cincinnati, there was Kansas City (Tyreke Hill), Buffalo (Stefon Diggs), and Tennessee (A.J. Brown) in the AFC; and San Francisco (Deebo Samuel), Green Bay (Davante Adams), and Tampa Bay (Mike Evans) joining L.A. in the NFC Final 4.
Who do the Jets have? Well, they were able to entice Corey Davis to sign as a free agent a year ago because they’re paying him like a No. 1 when he’s really a No. 2-type possession receiver. Elijah Moore showed big-play promise as a rookie, but, at 5-foot 9 and 185 pounds, he projects to be more of a slot guy—he was credited by PFF with just 4 contested catches in 10 opportunities all last season. Their next three on their 2021 depth chart are now free agents (again, what does it tell you that Mims isn’t even in that group?).
Douglas will get his first shot at landing a playmaker when free agency commences on March 16. I always assume that anyone of real value will be tagged by their current teams, and that goes for this class which includes Adams. Others will prioritize a destination that is closer to competing for a title than New York, leaving the Jets with slim pickings.
I’ve always respected Chicago’s Allen Robinson II, who might be set free after underperforming on the Bears’ franchise tag this season. However, he would surely be in high demand in the marketplace, with many projecting a long-term contract for the 28-year old to run over $20 million per year.
As such, it’s more likely that Douglas will take another shot in Aprils’ Draft. Many mock drafts have the Jets going receiver with their second selection in the first round—10th overall—because this pool just isn’t considered that strong. It’s too bad that Alabama’s Jameson Williams suffered a torn ACL in the National Championship game because he had immense potential as home run hitter with his speed. Many now expect his stock to drop into the teens.
Instead, the choice seems to be between Garrett Wilson (Ohio State) and Drake London (USC). At first glance, I’d be wary of London until he runs at the combine--if he does--since his 2021 season was shortened by a broken ankle. He’s more known for his physicality than his speed. Despite his reputed prowess in contested catches, PFF dinged him for 9 drops in 8 games.
Wilson, on the other hand, should have more success generating separation with his speed and quickness but might need time to adjust to the NFL’s physicality. He also projects to be a threat on jet sweeps, a staple in Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s playbook from his San Francisco training, which might come in handy if Braxton Berrios isn’t re-signed in free agency and Moore is deemed too brittle for the job.
The final avenue, if Douglas strikes out in free agency and the early part of the Draft, is a trade. Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley, who followed up a Second-Team All-Pro season in 2020 by taking time off for mental health reasons after playing just five games, is assumed to be on Douglas’ radar. This carries a huge risk, not only in terms of Ridley’s mindset but also the fact that he’d be on an expiring contract. Any trade for draft picks would have to come with an agreed-upon extension to his rookie contract.
If the Jets really want to go that route, may I suggest Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf instead? The Seahawks may be loath to trade again with Douglas after getting pummeled by their fan base for the two first-round picks they surrounded to acquire Jets safety Jamal Adams in 2020. However, that franchise has decisions to make as they re-tool following this season’s disappointing 7-10 campaign (hence, the Jets 10th overall pick).
Assuming he closes out his last contract year with another productive season, Metcalf will surely want to be paid his worth. Before that happens, maybe the Seahawks would want their pick back—I’d rather the Jets get a proven No. 1 receiver with the requisite size, speed, and verifiable resume than take a flyer on another pick.
In the end, though, it doesn’t matter how it happens. Just get it done, Joe.