Wide Receiver Depth

Edition #464

Good morning & happy Friday

Just as I was starting to feel good about the one position group that has troubled me all off-season (offensive line), the Corey Davis news has rocked my confidence in the wide receiver room.

It’s not that I thought Corey was in for a huge year, but his experience, his run-blocking and his ability when healthy made him a valuable commodity in the room. Now I look at the receiver room and I’m not quite as confident.

Garrett Wilson is a star, no doubt about that.
Allen Lazard has had an inconsistent camp but has that chemistry.
Randall Cobb seems to be the starting slot right now based on practice reports.
Mecole Hardman is a speedster, but has averaged 37 catches, 522 yards and 4 touchdowns were season playing with the best QB in the league.

Then you get into some murky territory with a couple of UDFA’s who while extremely talented, are unproven.

One injury to Wilson and then you have Lazard as you’re #1 and Cobb as your #2, and while Corey had his own problems staying on the field, his advanced numbers were very good, despite playing with Zach Wilson.

We’d heard that he was having a difficult camp, failing to stand out. But when you’re contemplating retirement, I imagine your focus and drive are lacking.

It leads to a key question for the Jets, Do we stick or do we twist?

Although we could carry 5 receivers, I still think we’ll carry 6. If that’s the case then Xavier Gipson and Jason Brownlee are the clear favourites to make the roster.

If we do carry 5 then maybe Corey’s retirement boosts Brownlee over Gipson. Does a physical outside receiver trump the return aspect that Gipson brings? Considering we have 2 deep inside already with Cobb and Hardman, I think it does.

Hardman returns the punts, and Brownlee makes the team as the WR5. The Jets carry an extra TE in Zack Kuntz who could be seen as a WR/TE hybrid, although he’s still so raw I’m not sure the Jets will want him in many games this year.

We’ll certainly be seeing plenty of split backfield action this year with Cook and Hall and maybe that releases some pressure on the wide receivers, but I didn’t realise how comfortable I was with the position group until one key member dropped out.

So what options do the Jets have? If they want to go outside the team?

Here are five options the Jets could explore.