Receivers and Tight Ends

[clayton163v]

I will be going through the team on a unit by unit basis.  I will start with the offense and our receivers which - in my opinion - was our weakest group.  Thanks to Sarge for his regular updates to the team roster.  It adds to the enjoyment of this site and made this task easier.  First, some basics on wide receivers.  The three wide receivers are the Z, X and Slot.  The Z lines up opposite the tight end and is on the line of scrimmage (usually).  It is key for a Z to be able to beat press coverage since the corner usually tries to jam him.  Deep speed is essential for a Z since he makes a living along the sideline.  If you do not threaten a defense deep, they will load the box until you complete some deep passes. The X, or flanker, lines up next to the tight end and is not always on the line of scrimmage.  Frequently in motion (depending on the formation) the X is usually a tougher player who catches a lot of balls over the middle.  The slot guy lines up in the backfield and can get going behind the line of scrimmage which allows smaller players to thrive in the slot.  This is also why smaller guys have a tough time outside.  There are always exceptions, but the basics remain.  You need to have some size to play outside unless you are a scary player (see Tyreek Hill).

A quick review of last season’s receivers. We mostly played our slot receiver (Crowder) as a starter and everybody here should remember why.  The plan was to start Mims and Perriman but both got hurt and were not healthy until the second half of the year.  Worse, the backup plan was to play the Smiths and THEY got hurt too.  What a fiasco!  We ended up playing Chris Hogan straight off the street with Crowder outside and put our punt returner - Berrios - in the slot.   Needless to say, this did not scare anybody.  We routinely faced eight guys in the box.  At tight end, Herndon kept dropping his opportunities despite winning the starting job hands down.  Let’s be fair, the unit underperformed.  The 2020 Jets had the worse offense in the league.

Jamison Crowder.  It say a lot about the state of the 2021 Jets that our best wideout was Crowder since he is a slot receiver - and therefore - is not supposed to be an every down player.  Nevertheless, we frequently lined him up outside on early downs since he was better than the alternatives.   A former 3d round pick of the Redskins, he caught 59 balls on 89 targets for 699 yards in 12 games and played hurt at times.  As a player he reminds me of Jeremy Kerley.  Quicker than fast, with good hands.  He is a tough assignment for nickel backs inside.  But he is small and has short arms.  While he is fine in the slot (a bit above average for the NFL), when he lines up outside he neither fills the need for an X or a Z.  He is too easy to jam which wrecks timing patterns and he lacks the deep speed to force safety coverage over the top.  He is under contract for next season and will play the slot again.  If we have to play him outside again - well what is the definition of stupid (doing the same thing and expecting different results).  He is a good but limited player.  I do not like receivers who are limited to the slot.  Naturally, we have two of them.  But he was a free agent when we got him and was better than the alternatives at the time.   

Breshard Perriman.  He came to the Jets on a one-year "prove it" deal.  Needless to say, the whole league was unwilling to offer a longer deal.  He caught 30 balls on 60 targets.  A former first round pick, Perriman offers good size and excellent downtown speed.  But he has not produced for a full season in his career nor has he been able to remain healthy.  This held true for the Jets last year as he played in 12 games and also played hurt early.  At times the ball was there but he did not come down with it.  Other times the ball was there but he reacted too late because he was not looking for it.  He could have had a better season had he shown some more “want to” or demonstrated better awareness.  While I would bring him back near the veteran minimum to play a reserve role, I MUST upgrade the starting position.  He is not a starter.  I suspect he will get more money elsewhere on another one-year deal and will move on to another team.  And that’s OK.  I am not being cheap with Woody's money.  I just cannot offer him a starting job and will offer payment accordingly.   He is worthwhile as a reserve and will catch on somewhere.

Braxton Berrios.  A slot receiver, he made the most of his opportunities and played all 16 games.  He returned punts too.  He caught 37 balls on 55 targets.  He clearly outplayed his role and salary. But he is short at 5’ 9”, has short arms and small hands.  Lacking downtown speed, he is basically a poor man’s Crowder.  A former 6th round pick of the hated Patriots, he made the club as a kick returner.  While he is under contract for next year, I must upgrade the position and he is on the bubble. 

Denzel Mims.  So much depended on this young man that you wonder how we passed on him initially.  When he went down, we went with him.  A solid 6’ 2.5” and 207 he is exactly how you draw up a wide receiver.  Ourlads listed his hands at 9 3/8 and his arms at 33 7/8.  He was clocked at 4.37 for his forty.  He played in nine games and caught 23 balls on 44 targets for 357 yards.  Not great.  But coming from a college spread offense, he had to learn the NFL route tree.  He also returned from a high ankle sprain and that does not heal during a season.  He played with it.  He is tough and has that great long speed.  But he showed promise and has the deep speed to play the Z and the build to play the X.  I noticed the difference when he got snaps late in the season.  It was when I realized we would not go winless. I pencil him in as the starter at one of those spots.  I have high hopes for him.

Jeff Smith.  Ah, poor Jeff Smith.  He climbed the mountain that is converting to NFL receiver from college QB.  He made the team.  The starters got hurt.  He went into the game . . . and . . . he dropped the ball when thrown to him and got hurt to boot.  He caught 17 balls on 37 targets for 161 yards in 12 games.  He has good size at 6’ 200.  The Jets were high on him going into the season.  So much promise, sigh. He is a exclusive rights free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

Vyncint Smith.  He showed real promise in 2019 and I thought he was a decent part of the mix going into 2020.  He has great size at 6’ 3” 202.  He was hurt most of the year like everyone not named Berrios.  He caught 1 ball on 3 targets in seven games.  Like Jeff Smith, we really needed him and he got his chance.  Sigh.  He is a restricted free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

Lawrence Cager.  Great size at 6’ 5” 215, he played two games and caught two balls on six targets.  I had hoped the Jets would use him more given the alternatives.  I suppose it speaks volumes that the Jets would rather play Crowder outside than give others snaps despite the lack of production.  He will be back to contend for a spot but he is on the bubble.

Josh Malone.  He caught 4 balls on 6 targets in four games after coming to the Jets off the street.  He will be back but is on the bubble.

Chris Hogan.  While the Jets cut him after guys got healthy, he caught 14 balls on 26 targets in five games while he soaked up snaps that could have gone to the young pups like Cager.  This left me mystified. Still does.      

As you can see, the only receivers on our roster that I want to see return next year are Mims and Crowder. Worse, I only want to see Crowder in the slot.  Everybody else is on the bubble or playing for the minimum. 

Tight ends.  A brief explanation on the tight end position.  They come in two types.  Inline tight ends and H backs.  H backs lack the power to be every down players and line up behind the line of scrimmage or split out wide like a receiver.  Inline guys must be able to block or the whole offense suffers.

Chris Herndon.  Will the real Chris Herndon please stand up?  His rookie year in 2018 was a revelation.  Too fast for linebackers and too big for defensive backs, he was a monster.  Then he got suspended, came into camp out of shape, got hurt and missed the season.  $hit.  Then he came into camp for 2020 with a tight stomach and loaded for bear.  He easily dispensed with the challenge from the well-paid Ryan Griffin and resumed his role as the starter.  He started the full 16 games.  He caught 31 balls on 45 targets for 287 yards.  He also lost two fumbles.  Yikes.  While many Jet fans say they want to replace him, I must tell you that is not too likely.  That is not because he is a great receiver. He dropped too many balls, many were of the WTF! variety.  Instead, it is because he is a solid inline blocking tight end.  Get used to him fellas.  He can block the job well and kept the other tight ends on the bench.  There was a reason for that.  I only hope he can regain the magic of his first season.  Even if he does not, he will be a sought after commodity by the NFL because he can block inside and he scares defenses (along with Jet fans and the coaching staff).  Penalty machines with alligator arms like Matt Mulligan stayed in the league for years because they could block.  So will Herndon. 

Ryan Griffin.  After a decent campaign in 2019 with Herndon going AWOL, the Jets forked over a decent three year deal for Griffin.  Why, I have no idea.  I still have no idea.  He caught 9 balls on 12 targets for 86 yards.  We extended this guy even though he is another team’s castoff who came cheap and had one decent year before coming to the Jets.  He lost his starting job to Herndon and never got it back.  Herndon was no great shakes fellas.  Not a good sign.  Cutting him would require eating millions in dead money.  I expect him to remain on the roster for that reason.  At least he played special teams.  He is not the answer.

Trevon Wesco.  He caught 1 ball on 2 targets for five yards.  At least he can play fullback on short yardage and is decent at it.  Not the answer.

Daniel Brown.  He caught 2 balls on 2 targets for 31 yards.  He is a core special teams player and does it well.  He will have a job in the NFL next season whether it is with us or not.  He will be back.

Well, there you have it.  The 2020 Jets receivers.  Let’s face it fellas.  It is arguably one of the worst collections of players the Jets have ever fielded.  Not only was there poor production, but there is very little to suggest that there is any upside there.  Out of five roster spots for receiver and three for tight end, it is Mims and Herndon.  While many wish to blame Darnold, I must point out that the only other place to throw rocks is at the interior offense line which – at times – was completely non-competitive. What bothers me is the wide receiver lineup does not even project.  Without Mims, we were playing two slot guys.

We MUST take a wideout at 23 or 34.  It is as simple as that.  If we took wideouts at BOTH 23 and 34 I would understand.  They would make the team and play all the time.  For those who want to take Chase, Devonta Smith or Waddle, I do too.  But I cannot justify it with a franchise tackle on the board.  We are not good enough to miss on the #2 pick.  We must take the sure thing or trade back if offered a fair deal. 

As for the tight ends, we could do worse than Herndon but the team could use an H back as all of our guys are inline tight ends.  Plus Wesco has youth going for him and is generally a rugged guy.

[sirlancemehlot]

Really well-done and makes me feel for Sam.  Kid was throwing to a slot and no-one else all season.  Only disagreement is that you give Herndon, a guy who still hasn't broken 1000 yards in his career, too much credit for his blocking.  There are plenty of guys out there that can provide horrendous receiving numbers, drop passes, fumble the ball and block decently...they are called "backup tight-ends", and they are paid poorly.  Otherwise nice-job.

[New York Mick]

The title sounds like a weekend at Joe Willies house. 

[pointman]

I cannot watch the tight end play that we have had for another season. I just can't. Convert Sam.. call Dustin Keller and see if they glued his knee back together yet. Anyone. Please.

[Jet2020]

Damn, y’all read all that? I haven’t read that much since high school. 

[BurnleyJet]

When did we last have an NFL Caliber set of receivers, Decker and Marshall I think.

[Philc1]

Richard Rodgers

 

backup TE in Philly who did a very nice job filling in for Ertz last season as a receiver when he was injured.  Would be a good under the radar signing by JD. 

[Philc1]

32 minutes ago, BurnleyJet said:

When did we last have an NFL Caliber set of receivers, Decker and Marshall I think.

One season in 12 years.  Not bad

[Philc1]

4 hours ago, sirlancemehlot said:

Really well-done and makes me feel for Sam.  Kid was throwing to a slot and no-one else all season.  Only disagreement is that you give Herndon, a guy who still hasn't broken 1000 yards in his career, too much credit for his blocking.  There are plenty of guys out there that can provide horrendous receiving numbers, drop passes, fumble the ball and block decently...they are called "backup tight-ends", and they are paid poorly.  Otherwise nice-job.

Sam’s receivers first half of the season were Chris Hogan and Chris Herndon.  Recipe for suckcess

[clayton163v]

4 hours ago, sirlancemehlot said:

Really well-done and makes me feel for Sam.  Kid was throwing to a slot and no-one else all season.  Only disagreement is that you give Herndon, a guy who still hasn't broken 1000 yards in his career, too much credit for his blocking.  There are plenty of guys out there that can provide horrendous receiving numbers, drop passes, fumble the ball and block decently...they are called "backup tight-ends", and they are paid poorly.  Otherwise nice-job.

Thanks.  To be fair, as a 4th round salary slot player, Chris Herndon is a poorly paid player.  Particularly since he is a starter and every down player. 

Yes, we could get a better tight end.  But that does not mean you can replace Herndon with a blocking tight end.  Yes, he has dropped easy passes, fumbled the ball, gotten suspended and missed a season (whoa).  But he is a decent blocking tight end and IF HE CATCHES THE FARKING BALL (Frustration not aimed at you Sir) he is a dangerous player.  Matt Mulligan was never dangerous.  

Herndon is actually dangerous.  If he can put it together like he did as a rookie.  I am not saying I believe in him.  I am saying he is a better player than most.  And he is. 

[clayton163v]

3 hours ago, New York Mick said:

The title sounds like a weekend at Joe Willies house. 

Hooray.  Well done sir.

[clayton163v]

1 hour ago, pointman said:

I cannot watch the tight end play that we have had for another season. I just can't. Convert Sam.. call Dustin Keller and see if they glued his knee back together yet. Anyone. Please.

It was truly ghastly.  What is worse, we badly needed them to come through.  They had every opportunity to shine.  NOPE.  

[clayton163v]

1 hour ago, Jet2020 said:

Damn, y’all read all that? I haven’t read that much since high school. 

Millennials.  Sigh.

[clayton163v]

55 minutes ago, BurnleyJet said:

When did we last have an NFL Caliber set of receivers, Decker and Marshall I think.

To me it was when Wayne and the mouth walked the field. 

[clayton163v]

23 minutes ago, Philc1 said:

Sam’s receivers first half of the season were Chris Hogan and Chris Herndon.  Recipe for suckcess

Well, at least they scared me and other Jet fans.

[32EBoozer]

13 hours ago, clayton163v said:

I will be going through the team on a unit by unit basis.  I will start with the offense and our receivers which - in my opinion - was our weakest group.  Thanks to Sarge for his regular updates to the team roster.  It adds to the enjoyment of this site and made this task easier.  First, some basics on wide receivers.  The three wide receivers are the Z, X and Slot.  The Z lines up opposite the tight end and is on the line of scrimmage (usually).  It is key for a Z to be able to beat press coverage since the corner usually tries to jam him.  Deep speed is essential for a Z since he makes a living along the sideline.  If you do not threaten a defense deep, they will load the box until you complete some deep passes. The X, or flanker, lines up next to the tight end and is not always on the line of scrimmage.  Frequently in motion (depending on the formation) the X is usually a tougher player who catches a lot of balls over the middle.  The slot guy lines up in the backfield and can get going behind the line of scrimmage which allows smaller players to thrive in the slot.  This is also why smaller guys have a tough time outside.  There are always exceptions, but the basics remain.  You need to have some size to play outside unless you are a scary player (see Tyreek Hill).

 

A quick review of last season’s receivers. We mostly played our slot receiver (Crowder) as a starter and everybody here should remember why.  The plan was to start Mims and Perriman but both got hurt and were not healthy until the second half of the year.  Worse, the backup plan was to play the Smiths and THEY got hurt too.  What a fiasco!  We ended up playing Chris Hogan straight off the street with Crowder outside and put our punt returner - Berrios - in the slot.   Needless to say, this did not scare anybody.  We routinely faced eight guys in the box.  At tight end, Herndon kept dropping his opportunities despite winning the starting job hands down.  Let’s be fair, the unit underperformed.  The 2020 Jets had the worse offense in the league.

 

Jamison Crowder.  It say a lot about the state of the 2021 Jets that our best wideout was Crowder since he is a slot receiver - and therefore - is not supposed to be an every down player.  Nevertheless, we frequently lined him up outside on early downs since he was better than the alternatives.   A former 3d round pick of the Redskins, he caught 59 balls on 89 targets for 699 yards in 12 games and played hurt at times.  As a player he reminds me of Jeremy Kerley.  Quicker than fast, with good hands.  He is a tough assignment for nickel backs inside.  But he is small and has short arms.  While he is fine in the slot (a bit above average for the NFL), when he lines up outside he neither fills the need for an X or a Z.  He is too easy to jam which wrecks timing patterns and he lacks the deep speed to force safety coverage over the top.  He is under contract for next season and will play the slot again.  If we have to play him outside again - well what is the definition of stupid (doing the same thing and expecting different results).  He is a good but limited player.  I do not like receivers who are limited to the slot.  Naturally, we have two of them.  But he was a free agent when we got him and was better than the alternatives at the time.   

 

Breshard Perriman.  He came to the Jets on a one-year "prove it" deal.  Needless to say, the whole league was unwilling to offer a longer deal.  He caught 30 balls on 60 targets.  A former first round pick, Perriman offers good size and excellent downtown speed.  But he has not produced for a full season in his career nor has he been able to remain healthy.  This held true for the Jets last year as he played in 12 games and also played hurt early.  At times the ball was there but he did not come down with it.  Other times the ball was there but he reacted too late because he was not looking for it.  He could have had a better season had he shown some more “want to” or demonstrated better awareness.  While I would bring him back near the veteran minimum to play a reserve role, I MUST upgrade the starting position.  He is not a starter.  I suspect he will get more money elsewhere on another one-year deal and will move on to another team.  And that’s OK.  I am not being cheap with Woody's money.  I just cannot offer him a starting job and will offer payment accordingly.   He is worthwhile as a reserve and will catch on somewhere.

 

Braxton Berrios.  A slot receiver, he made the most of his opportunities and played all 16 games.  He returned punts too.  He caught 37 balls on 55 targets.  He clearly outplayed his role and salary. But he is short at 5’ 9”, has short arms and small hands.  Lacking downtown speed, he is basically a poor man’s Crowder.  A former 6th round pick of the hated Patriots, he made the club as a kick returner.  While he is under contract for next year, I must upgrade the position and he is on the bubble. 

 

Denzel Mims.  So much depended on this young man that you wonder how we passed on him initially.  When he went down, we went with him.  A solid 6’ 2.5” and 207 he is exactly how you draw up a wide receiver.  Ourlads listed his hands at 9 3/8 and his arms at 33 7/8.  He was clocked at 4.37 for his forty.  He played in nine games and caught 23 balls on 44 targets for 357 yards.  Not great.  But coming from a college spread offense, he had to learn the NFL route tree.  He also returned from a high ankle sprain and that does not heal during a season.  He played with it.  He is tough and has that great long speed.  But he showed promise and has the deep speed to play the Z and the build to play the X.  I noticed the difference when he got snaps late in the season.  It was when I realized we would not go winless. I pencil him in as the starter at one of those spots.  I have high hopes for him.

 

Jeff Smith.  Ah, poor Jeff Smith.  He climbed the mountain that is converting to NFL receiver from college QB.  He made the team.  The starters got hurt.  He went into the game . . . and . . . he dropped the ball when thrown to him and got hurt to boot.  He caught 17 balls on 37 targets for 161 yards in 12 games.  He has good size at 6’ 200.  The Jets were high on him going into the season.  So much promise, sigh. He is a exclusive rights free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Vyncint Smith.  He showed real promise in 2019 and I thought he was a decent part of the mix going into 2020.  He has great size at 6’ 3” 202.  He was hurt most of the year like everyone not named Berrios.  He caught 1 ball on 3 targets in seven games.  Like Jeff Smith, we really needed him and he got his chance.  Sigh.  He is a restricted free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Lawrence Cager.  Great size at 6’ 5” 215, he played two games and caught two balls on six targets.  I had hoped the Jets would use him more given the alternatives.  I suppose it speaks volumes that the Jets would rather play Crowder outside than give others snaps despite the lack of production.  He will be back to contend for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Josh Malone.  He caught 4 balls on 6 targets in four games after coming to the Jets off the street.  He will be back but is on the bubble.

 

Chris Hogan.  While the Jets cut him after guys got healthy, he caught 14 balls on 26 targets in five games while he soaked up snaps that could have gone to the young pups like Cager.  This left me mystified. Still does.      

 

As you can see, the only receivers on our roster that I want to see return next year are Mims and Crowder. Worse, I only want to see Crowder in the slot.  Everybody else is on the bubble or playing for the minimum. 

 

Tight ends.  A brief explanation on the tight end position.  They come in two types.  Inline tight ends and H backs.  H backs lack the power to be every down players and line up behind the line of scrimmage or split out wide like a receiver.  Inline guys must be able to block or the whole offense suffers.

 

Chris Herndon.  Will the real Chris Herndon please stand up?  His rookie year in 2018 was a revelation.  Too fast for linebackers and too big for defensive backs, he was a monster.  Then he got suspended, came into camp out of shape, got hurt and missed the season.  $hit.  Then he came into camp for 2020 with a tight stomach and loaded for bear.  He easily dispensed with the challenge from the well-paid Ryan Griffin and resumed his role as the starter.  He started the full 16 games.  He caught 31 balls on 45 targets for 287 yards.  He also lost two fumbles.  Yikes.  While many Jet fans say they want to replace him, I must tell you that is not too likely.  That is not because he is a great receiver. He dropped too many balls, many were of the WTF! variety.  Instead, it is because he is a solid inline blocking tight end.  Get used to him fellas.  He can block the job well and kept the other tight ends on the bench.  There was a reason for that.  I only hope he can regain the magic of his first season.  Even if he does not, he will be a sought after commodity by the NFL because he can block inside and he scares defenses (along with Jet fans and the coaching staff).  Penalty machines with alligator arms like Matt Mulligan stayed in the league for years because they could block.  So will Herndon. 

 

Ryan Griffin.  After a decent campaign in 2019 with Herndon going AWOL, the Jets forked over a decent three year deal for Griffin.  Why, I have no idea.  I still have no idea.  He caught 9 balls on 12 targets for 86 yards.  We extended this guy even though he is another team’s castoff who came cheap and had one decent year before coming to the Jets.  He lost his starting job to Herndon and never got it back.  Herndon was no great shakes fellas.  Not a good sign.  Cutting him would require eating millions in dead money.  I expect him to remain on the roster for that reason.  At least he played special teams.  He is not the answer.

 

Trevon Wesco.  He caught 1 ball on 2 targets for five yards.  At least he can play fullback on short yardage and is decent at it.  Not the answer.

 

Daniel Brown.  He caught 2 balls on 2 targets for 31 yards.  He is a core special teams player and does it well.  He will have a job in the NFL next season whether it is with us or not.  He will be back.

 

Well, there you have it.  The 2020 Jets receivers.  Let’s face it fellas.  It is arguably one of the worst collections of players the Jets have ever fielded.  Not only was there poor production, but there is very little to suggest that there is any upside there.  Out of five roster spots for receiver and three for tight end, it is Mims and Herndon.  While many wish to blame Darnold, I must point out that the only other place to throw rocks is at the interior offense line which – at times – was completely non-competitive. What bothers me is the wide receiver lineup does not even project.  Without Mims, we were playing two slot guys.

 

We MUST take a wideout at 23 or 34.  It is as simple as that.  If we took wideouts at BOTH 23 and 34 I would understand.  They would make the team and play all the time.  For those who want to take Chase, Devonta Smith or Waddle, I do too.  But I cannot justify it with a franchise tackle on the board.  We are not good enough to miss on the #2 pick.  We must take the sure thing or trade back if offered a fair deal. 

As for the tight ends, we could do worse than Herndon but the team could use an H back as all of our guys are inline tight ends.  Plus Wesco has youth going for him and is generally a rugged guy.

@Sperm Edwards Jr. is all grown up! You do your father proud!

[Wonderboy]

14 hours ago, clayton163v said:

I will be going through the team on a unit by unit basis.  I will start with the offense and our receivers which - in my opinion - was our weakest group.  Thanks to Sarge for his regular updates to the team roster.  It adds to the enjoyment of this site and made this task easier.  First, some basics on wide receivers.  The three wide receivers are the Z, X and Slot.  The Z lines up opposite the tight end and is on the line of scrimmage (usually).  It is key for a Z to be able to beat press coverage since the corner usually tries to jam him.  Deep speed is essential for a Z since he makes a living along the sideline.  If you do not threaten a defense deep, they will load the box until you complete some deep passes. The X, or flanker, lines up next to the tight end and is not always on the line of scrimmage.  Frequently in motion (depending on the formation) the X is usually a tougher player who catches a lot of balls over the middle.  The slot guy lines up in the backfield and can get going behind the line of scrimmage which allows smaller players to thrive in the slot.  This is also why smaller guys have a tough time outside.  There are always exceptions, but the basics remain.  You need to have some size to play outside unless you are a scary player (see Tyreek Hill).

 

A quick review of last season’s receivers. We mostly played our slot receiver (Crowder) as a starter and everybody here should remember why.  The plan was to start Mims and Perriman but both got hurt and were not healthy until the second half of the year.  Worse, the backup plan was to play the Smiths and THEY got hurt too.  What a fiasco!  We ended up playing Chris Hogan straight off the street with Crowder outside and put our punt returner - Berrios - in the slot.   Needless to say, this did not scare anybody.  We routinely faced eight guys in the box.  At tight end, Herndon kept dropping his opportunities despite winning the starting job hands down.  Let’s be fair, the unit underperformed.  The 2020 Jets had the worse offense in the league.

 

Jamison Crowder.  It say a lot about the state of the 2021 Jets that our best wideout was Crowder since he is a slot receiver - and therefore - is not supposed to be an every down player.  Nevertheless, we frequently lined him up outside on early downs since he was better than the alternatives.   A former 3d round pick of the Redskins, he caught 59 balls on 89 targets for 699 yards in 12 games and played hurt at times.  As a player he reminds me of Jeremy Kerley.  Quicker than fast, with good hands.  He is a tough assignment for nickel backs inside.  But he is small and has short arms.  While he is fine in the slot (a bit above average for the NFL), when he lines up outside he neither fills the need for an X or a Z.  He is too easy to jam which wrecks timing patterns and he lacks the deep speed to force safety coverage over the top.  He is under contract for next season and will play the slot again.  If we have to play him outside again - well what is the definition of stupid (doing the same thing and expecting different results).  He is a good but limited player.  I do not like receivers who are limited to the slot.  Naturally, we have two of them.  But he was a free agent when we got him and was better than the alternatives at the time.   

 

Breshard Perriman.  He came to the Jets on a one-year "prove it" deal.  Needless to say, the whole league was unwilling to offer a longer deal.  He caught 30 balls on 60 targets.  A former first round pick, Perriman offers good size and excellent downtown speed.  But he has not produced for a full season in his career nor has he been able to remain healthy.  This held true for the Jets last year as he played in 12 games and also played hurt early.  At times the ball was there but he did not come down with it.  Other times the ball was there but he reacted too late because he was not looking for it.  He could have had a better season had he shown some more “want to” or demonstrated better awareness.  While I would bring him back near the veteran minimum to play a reserve role, I MUST upgrade the starting position.  He is not a starter.  I suspect he will get more money elsewhere on another one-year deal and will move on to another team.  And that’s OK.  I am not being cheap with Woody's money.  I just cannot offer him a starting job and will offer payment accordingly.   He is worthwhile as a reserve and will catch on somewhere.

 

Braxton Berrios.  A slot receiver, he made the most of his opportunities and played all 16 games.  He returned punts too.  He caught 37 balls on 55 targets.  He clearly outplayed his role and salary. But he is short at 5’ 9”, has short arms and small hands.  Lacking downtown speed, he is basically a poor man’s Crowder.  A former 6th round pick of the hated Patriots, he made the club as a kick returner.  While he is under contract for next year, I must upgrade the position and he is on the bubble. 

 

Denzel Mims.  So much depended on this young man that you wonder how we passed on him initially.  When he went down, we went with him.  A solid 6’ 2.5” and 207 he is exactly how you draw up a wide receiver.  Ourlads listed his hands at 9 3/8 and his arms at 33 7/8.  He was clocked at 4.37 for his forty.  He played in nine games and caught 23 balls on 44 targets for 357 yards.  Not great.  But coming from a college spread offense, he had to learn the NFL route tree.  He also returned from a high ankle sprain and that does not heal during a season.  He played with it.  He is tough and has that great long speed.  But he showed promise and has the deep speed to play the Z and the build to play the X.  I noticed the difference when he got snaps late in the season.  It was when I realized we would not go winless. I pencil him in as the starter at one of those spots.  I have high hopes for him.

 

Jeff Smith.  Ah, poor Jeff Smith.  He climbed the mountain that is converting to NFL receiver from college QB.  He made the team.  The starters got hurt.  He went into the game . . . and . . . he dropped the ball when thrown to him and got hurt to boot.  He caught 17 balls on 37 targets for 161 yards in 12 games.  He has good size at 6’ 200.  The Jets were high on him going into the season.  So much promise, sigh. He is a exclusive rights free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Vyncint Smith.  He showed real promise in 2019 and I thought he was a decent part of the mix going into 2020.  He has great size at 6’ 3” 202.  He was hurt most of the year like everyone not named Berrios.  He caught 1 ball on 3 targets in seven games.  Like Jeff Smith, we really needed him and he got his chance.  Sigh.  He is a restricted free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Lawrence Cager.  Great size at 6’ 5” 215, he played two games and caught two balls on six targets.  I had hoped the Jets would use him more given the alternatives.  I suppose it speaks volumes that the Jets would rather play Crowder outside than give others snaps despite the lack of production.  He will be back to contend for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Josh Malone.  He caught 4 balls on 6 targets in four games after coming to the Jets off the street.  He will be back but is on the bubble.

 

Chris Hogan.  While the Jets cut him after guys got healthy, he caught 14 balls on 26 targets in five games while he soaked up snaps that could have gone to the young pups like Cager.  This left me mystified. Still does.      

 

As you can see, the only receivers on our roster that I want to see return next year are Mims and Crowder. Worse, I only want to see Crowder in the slot.  Everybody else is on the bubble or playing for the minimum. 

 

Tight ends.  A brief explanation on the tight end position.  They come in two types.  Inline tight ends and H backs.  H backs lack the power to be every down players and line up behind the line of scrimmage or split out wide like a receiver.  Inline guys must be able to block or the whole offense suffers.

 

Chris Herndon.  Will the real Chris Herndon please stand up?  His rookie year in 2018 was a revelation.  Too fast for linebackers and too big for defensive backs, he was a monster.  Then he got suspended, came into camp out of shape, got hurt and missed the season.  $hit.  Then he came into camp for 2020 with a tight stomach and loaded for bear.  He easily dispensed with the challenge from the well-paid Ryan Griffin and resumed his role as the starter.  He started the full 16 games.  He caught 31 balls on 45 targets for 287 yards.  He also lost two fumbles.  Yikes.  While many Jet fans say they want to replace him, I must tell you that is not too likely.  That is not because he is a great receiver. He dropped too many balls, many were of the WTF! variety.  Instead, it is because he is a solid inline blocking tight end.  Get used to him fellas.  He can block the job well and kept the other tight ends on the bench.  There was a reason for that.  I only hope he can regain the magic of his first season.  Even if he does not, he will be a sought after commodity by the NFL because he can block inside and he scares defenses (along with Jet fans and the coaching staff).  Penalty machines with alligator arms like Matt Mulligan stayed in the league for years because they could block.  So will Herndon. 

 

Ryan Griffin.  After a decent campaign in 2019 with Herndon going AWOL, the Jets forked over a decent three year deal for Griffin.  Why, I have no idea.  I still have no idea.  He caught 9 balls on 12 targets for 86 yards.  We extended this guy even though he is another team’s castoff who came cheap and had one decent year before coming to the Jets.  He lost his starting job to Herndon and never got it back.  Herndon was no great shakes fellas.  Not a good sign.  Cutting him would require eating millions in dead money.  I expect him to remain on the roster for that reason.  At least he played special teams.  He is not the answer.

 

Trevon Wesco.  He caught 1 ball on 2 targets for five yards.  At least he can play fullback on short yardage and is decent at it.  Not the answer.

 

Daniel Brown.  He caught 2 balls on 2 targets for 31 yards.  He is a core special teams player and does it well.  He will have a job in the NFL next season whether it is with us or not.  He will be back.

 

Well, there you have it.  The 2020 Jets receivers.  Let’s face it fellas.  It is arguably one of the worst collections of players the Jets have ever fielded.  Not only was there poor production, but there is very little to suggest that there is any upside there.  Out of five roster spots for receiver and three for tight end, it is Mims and Herndon.  While many wish to blame Darnold, I must point out that the only other place to throw rocks is at the interior offense line which – at times – was completely non-competitive. What bothers me is the wide receiver lineup does not even project.  Without Mims, we were playing two slot guys.

 

We MUST take a wideout at 23 or 34.  It is as simple as that.  If we took wideouts at BOTH 23 and 34 I would understand.  They would make the team and play all the time.  For those who want to take Chase, Devonta Smith or Waddle, I do too.  But I cannot justify it with a franchise tackle on the board.  We are not good enough to miss on the #2 pick.  We must take the sure thing or trade back if offered a fair deal. 

As for the tight ends, we could do worse than Herndon but the team could use an H back as all of our guys are inline tight ends.  Plus Wesco has youth going for him and is generally a rugged guy.

Well written and educational. Thanks for taking the time. WR position is so bad but I was against taking one at 23 and 34 since our DB’s and pass rush are equally pathetic.  But you make a valid point. If we can trade Darnold and get a 1st rounder then it would be a no-brainer to go qb/edge/cb/wr with those first 4 picks.  I’d even trade back to 5 to get extra picks and take whatever QB is left amongst Fields, Wilson, Lance. If you can, name some FA WR’s you think JD could sign that would be a good fit under LaFleur’s system. Also some wr prospects you like in the draft and where we can draft them. Signing Allen Robinson is a pipe dream. This unit desperately needs to be overhauled.

[The Crusher]

5 hours ago, Philc1 said:

Sam’s receivers first half of the season were Chris Hogan and Chris Herndon.  Recipe for suckcess

Might be a sign when half your receiving core switches to Lacrosse the following season. 

[Sperm Edwards]

1 hour ago, 32EBoozer said:

@Sperm Edwards Jr. is all grown up! You do your father proud!

I’m so proud. Excuse me while I wipe away a manly tear. 

[nycdan]

1 hour ago, Wonderboy said:

Well written and educational. Thanks for taking the time. WR position is so bad but I was against taking one at 23 and 34 since our DB’s and pass rush are equally pathetic.  But you make a valid point. If we can trade Darnold and get a 1st rounder then it would be a no-brainer to go qb/edge/cb/wr with those first 4 picks.  I’d even trade back to 5 to get extra picks and take whatever QB is left amongst Fields, Wilson, Lance. If you can, name some FA WR’s you think JD could sign that would be a good fit under LaFleur’s system. Also some wr prospects you like in the draft and where we can draft them. Signing Allen Robinson is a pipe dream. This unit desperately needs to be overhauled.

And the problem then is that you have Macced the OL yet again.

Free Agency is going to help answer questions, since we clearly need to address some of these positions there.  But if we don't get a solid upgrade to the OL in FA, then we absolutely have to put some juice into it during the top of the draft.

[Wonderboy]

53 minutes ago, nycdan said:

And the problem then is that you have Macced the OL yet again.

Free Agency is going to help answer questions, since we clearly need to address some of these positions there.  But if we don't get a solid upgrade to the OL in FA, then we absolutely have to put some juice into it during the top of the draft.

The draft is DEEP in OL. We can grab 2 OL in round 3.  There’s a surplus of guys that will be available. And hopefully JD invests some money thru FA on the OL with 2 players/ Thuney/Linsey, slide McGovern over to guard, draft a guy like DeonteBrown/TreySmith//Carman/Eichenberg/Jenkins/Hudson/Radunz/Myers/Faalele/Dickerson/Humphrey/Morrisey/Trey Hill ...a lot of these guys will be there in round 3. 

[FidelioJet]

OP...Thank you for this...

Great read!

[Philc1]

1 minute ago, Wonderboy said:

The draft is DEEP in OL. We can grab 2 OL in round 3.  There’s a surplus of guys that will be available. And hopefully JD invests some money thru FA on the OL with 2 players/ Thuney/Linsey, slide McGovern over to guard, draft a guy like DeonteBrown/TreySmith//Carman/Eichenberg/Jenkins/Hudson/Radunz/Myers/Faalele/Dickerson/Humphrey/Morrisey/Trey Hill ...a lot of these guys will be there in round 3. 

This draft isn’t deep in OL or QB.

 

It is deep at WR and RB

 

[RoadFan]

If they trade down to 4 or 5....

Draft.  Kyle.  Pitts.

I wouldn't be upset if they took him at 2.   This guy is Kelce, Waller, and Kittlesque...

[Greenseed4]

@clayton163v I think you have the X and the Z mixed up.  Might want to look into that

17 hours ago, clayton163v said:

The Z lines up opposite the tight end and is on the line of scrimmage (usually).  It is key for a Z to be able to beat press coverage since the corner usually tries to jam him.  
 

The X, or flanker, lines up next to the tight end and is not always on the line of scrimmage.

 

[rangerous]

13 hours ago, sirlancemehlot said:

Really well-done and makes me feel for Sam.  Kid was throwing to a slot and no-one else all season.  Only disagreement is that you give Herndon, a guy who still hasn't broken 1000 yards in his career, too much credit for his blocking.  There are plenty of guys out there that can provide horrendous receiving numbers, drop passes, fumble the ball and block decently...they are called "backup tight-ends", and they are paid poorly.  Otherwise nice-job.

i was thinking the same thing with regard to darnold.  obviously there are things he must do but it's awful hard when each sunday is more like a sand lot pick up game.

[Wonderboy]

2 hours ago, Philc1 said:

This draft isn’t deep in OL or QB.

 

It is deep at WR and RB

 

?‍♂️

[PepPep]

On 2/25/2021 at 2:17 PM, clayton163v said:

We MUST take a wideout at 23 or 34.

Terrance Marshall Jr.

[sirlancemehlot]

18 hours ago, clayton163v said:

Thanks.  To be fair, as a 4th round salary slot player, Chris Herndon is a poorly paid player.  Particularly since he is a starter and every down player. 

Yes, we could get a better tight end.  But that does not mean you can replace Herndon with a blocking tight end.  Yes, he has dropped easy passes, fumbled the ball, gotten suspended and missed a season (whoa).  But he is a decent blocking tight end and IF HE CATCHES THE FARKING BALL (Frustration not aimed at you Sir) he is a dangerous player.  Matt Mulligan was never dangerous.  

Herndon is actually dangerous.  If he can put it together like he did as a rookie.  I am not saying I believe in him.  I am saying he is a better player than most.  And he is. 

Like I said, awesome breakdown above.  We'll just have to agree to disagree on Herndon.  His cap hit for 2021 is $2,350,000 and change.  He was among the worst starting TE's in the league last year and he's ranked 160th among all receivers. Add the drops and fumbles...Hard pass for me.

[GodDamnSnack]

On 2/25/2021 at 2:17 PM, clayton163v said:

I will be going through the team on a unit by unit basis.  I will start with the offense and our receivers which - in my opinion - was our weakest group.  Thanks to Sarge for his regular updates to the team roster.  It adds to the enjoyment of this site and made this task easier.  First, some basics on wide receivers.  The three wide receivers are the Z, X and Slot.  The Z lines up opposite the tight end and is on the line of scrimmage (usually).  It is key for a Z to be able to beat press coverage since the corner usually tries to jam him.  Deep speed is essential for a Z since he makes a living along the sideline.  If you do not threaten a defense deep, they will load the box until you complete some deep passes. The X, or flanker, lines up next to the tight end and is not always on the line of scrimmage.  Frequently in motion (depending on the formation) the X is usually a tougher player who catches a lot of balls over the middle.  The slot guy lines up in the backfield and can get going behind the line of scrimmage which allows smaller players to thrive in the slot.  This is also why smaller guys have a tough time outside.  There are always exceptions, but the basics remain.  You need to have some size to play outside unless you are a scary player (see Tyreek Hill).

 

A quick review of last season’s receivers. We mostly played our slot receiver (Crowder) as a starter and everybody here should remember why.  The plan was to start Mims and Perriman but both got hurt and were not healthy until the second half of the year.  Worse, the backup plan was to play the Smiths and THEY got hurt too.  What a fiasco!  We ended up playing Chris Hogan straight off the street with Crowder outside and put our punt returner - Berrios - in the slot.   Needless to say, this did not scare anybody.  We routinely faced eight guys in the box.  At tight end, Herndon kept dropping his opportunities despite winning the starting job hands down.  Let’s be fair, the unit underperformed.  The 2020 Jets had the worse offense in the league.

 

Jamison Crowder.  It say a lot about the state of the 2021 Jets that our best wideout was Crowder since he is a slot receiver - and therefore - is not supposed to be an every down player.  Nevertheless, we frequently lined him up outside on early downs since he was better than the alternatives.   A former 3d round pick of the Redskins, he caught 59 balls on 89 targets for 699 yards in 12 games and played hurt at times.  As a player he reminds me of Jeremy Kerley.  Quicker than fast, with good hands.  He is a tough assignment for nickel backs inside.  But he is small and has short arms.  While he is fine in the slot (a bit above average for the NFL), when he lines up outside he neither fills the need for an X or a Z.  He is too easy to jam which wrecks timing patterns and he lacks the deep speed to force safety coverage over the top.  He is under contract for next season and will play the slot again.  If we have to play him outside again - well what is the definition of stupid (doing the same thing and expecting different results).  He is a good but limited player.  I do not like receivers who are limited to the slot.  Naturally, we have two of them.  But he was a free agent when we got him and was better than the alternatives at the time.   

 

Breshard Perriman.  He came to the Jets on a one-year "prove it" deal.  Needless to say, the whole league was unwilling to offer a longer deal.  He caught 30 balls on 60 targets.  A former first round pick, Perriman offers good size and excellent downtown speed.  But he has not produced for a full season in his career nor has he been able to remain healthy.  This held true for the Jets last year as he played in 12 games and also played hurt early.  At times the ball was there but he did not come down with it.  Other times the ball was there but he reacted too late because he was not looking for it.  He could have had a better season had he shown some more “want to” or demonstrated better awareness.  While I would bring him back near the veteran minimum to play a reserve role, I MUST upgrade the starting position.  He is not a starter.  I suspect he will get more money elsewhere on another one-year deal and will move on to another team.  And that’s OK.  I am not being cheap with Woody's money.  I just cannot offer him a starting job and will offer payment accordingly.   He is worthwhile as a reserve and will catch on somewhere.

 

Braxton Berrios.  A slot receiver, he made the most of his opportunities and played all 16 games.  He returned punts too.  He caught 37 balls on 55 targets.  He clearly outplayed his role and salary. But he is short at 5’ 9”, has short arms and small hands.  Lacking downtown speed, he is basically a poor man’s Crowder.  A former 6th round pick of the hated Patriots, he made the club as a kick returner.  While he is under contract for next year, I must upgrade the position and he is on the bubble. 

 

Denzel Mims.  So much depended on this young man that you wonder how we passed on him initially.  When he went down, we went with him.  A solid 6’ 2.5” and 207 he is exactly how you draw up a wide receiver.  Ourlads listed his hands at 9 3/8 and his arms at 33 7/8.  He was clocked at 4.37 for his forty.  He played in nine games and caught 23 balls on 44 targets for 357 yards.  Not great.  But coming from a college spread offense, he had to learn the NFL route tree.  He also returned from a high ankle sprain and that does not heal during a season.  He played with it.  He is tough and has that great long speed.  But he showed promise and has the deep speed to play the Z and the build to play the X.  I noticed the difference when he got snaps late in the season.  It was when I realized we would not go winless. I pencil him in as the starter at one of those spots.  I have high hopes for him.

 

Jeff Smith.  Ah, poor Jeff Smith.  He climbed the mountain that is converting to NFL receiver from college QB.  He made the team.  The starters got hurt.  He went into the game . . . and . . . he dropped the ball when thrown to him and got hurt to boot.  He caught 17 balls on 37 targets for 161 yards in 12 games.  He has good size at 6’ 200.  The Jets were high on him going into the season.  So much promise, sigh. He is a exclusive rights free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Vyncint Smith.  He showed real promise in 2019 and I thought he was a decent part of the mix going into 2020.  He has great size at 6’ 3” 202.  He was hurt most of the year like everyone not named Berrios.  He caught 1 ball on 3 targets in seven games.  Like Jeff Smith, we really needed him and he got his chance.  Sigh.  He is a restricted free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Lawrence Cager.  Great size at 6’ 5” 215, he played two games and caught two balls on six targets.  I had hoped the Jets would use him more given the alternatives.  I suppose it speaks volumes that the Jets would rather play Crowder outside than give others snaps despite the lack of production.  He will be back to contend for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Josh Malone.  He caught 4 balls on 6 targets in four games after coming to the Jets off the street.  He will be back but is on the bubble.

 

Chris Hogan.  While the Jets cut him after guys got healthy, he caught 14 balls on 26 targets in five games while he soaked up snaps that could have gone to the young pups like Cager.  This left me mystified. Still does.      

 

As you can see, the only receivers on our roster that I want to see return next year are Mims and Crowder. Worse, I only want to see Crowder in the slot.  Everybody else is on the bubble or playing for the minimum. 

 

Tight ends.  A brief explanation on the tight end position.  They come in two types.  Inline tight ends and H backs.  H backs lack the power to be every down players and line up behind the line of scrimmage or split out wide like a receiver.  Inline guys must be able to block or the whole offense suffers.

 

Chris Herndon.  Will the real Chris Herndon please stand up?  His rookie year in 2018 was a revelation.  Too fast for linebackers and too big for defensive backs, he was a monster.  Then he got suspended, came into camp out of shape, got hurt and missed the season.  $hit.  Then he came into camp for 2020 with a tight stomach and loaded for bear.  He easily dispensed with the challenge from the well-paid Ryan Griffin and resumed his role as the starter.  He started the full 16 games.  He caught 31 balls on 45 targets for 287 yards.  He also lost two fumbles.  Yikes.  While many Jet fans say they want to replace him, I must tell you that is not too likely.  That is not because he is a great receiver. He dropped too many balls, many were of the WTF! variety.  Instead, it is because he is a solid inline blocking tight end.  Get used to him fellas.  He can block the job well and kept the other tight ends on the bench.  There was a reason for that.  I only hope he can regain the magic of his first season.  Even if he does not, he will be a sought after commodity by the NFL because he can block inside and he scares defenses (along with Jet fans and the coaching staff).  Penalty machines with alligator arms like Matt Mulligan stayed in the league for years because they could block.  So will Herndon. 

 

Ryan Griffin.  After a decent campaign in 2019 with Herndon going AWOL, the Jets forked over a decent three year deal for Griffin.  Why, I have no idea.  I still have no idea.  He caught 9 balls on 12 targets for 86 yards.  We extended this guy even though he is another team’s castoff who came cheap and had one decent year before coming to the Jets.  He lost his starting job to Herndon and never got it back.  Herndon was no great shakes fellas.  Not a good sign.  Cutting him would require eating millions in dead money.  I expect him to remain on the roster for that reason.  At least he played special teams.  He is not the answer.

 

Trevon Wesco.  He caught 1 ball on 2 targets for five yards.  At least he can play fullback on short yardage and is decent at it.  Not the answer.

 

Daniel Brown.  He caught 2 balls on 2 targets for 31 yards.  He is a core special teams player and does it well.  He will have a job in the NFL next season whether it is with us or not.  He will be back.

 

Well, there you have it.  The 2020 Jets receivers.  Let’s face it fellas.  It is arguably one of the worst collections of players the Jets have ever fielded.  Not only was there poor production, but there is very little to suggest that there is any upside there.  Out of five roster spots for receiver and three for tight end, it is Mims and Herndon.  While many wish to blame Darnold, I must point out that the only other place to throw rocks is at the interior offense line which – at times – was completely non-competitive. What bothers me is the wide receiver lineup does not even project.  Without Mims, we were playing two slot guys.

 

We MUST take a wideout at 23 or 34.  It is as simple as that.  If we took wideouts at BOTH 23 and 34 I would understand.  They would make the team and play all the time.  For those who want to take Chase, Devonta Smith or Waddle, I do too.  But I cannot justify it with a franchise tackle on the board.  We are not good enough to miss on the #2 pick.  We must take the sure thing or trade back if offered a fair deal. 

As for the tight ends, we could do worse than Herndon but the team could use an H back as all of our guys are inline tight ends.  Plus Wesco has youth going for him and is generally a rugged guy.

Great post, thanks for sharing! I learned a lot and it was easy to read because you didn't use stupid words like x-factor . Would love to read your take on other positions. Please do share if you have the time

[Paradis]

On 2/25/2021 at 2:17 PM, clayton163v said:

I will be going through the team on a unit by unit basis.  I will start with the offense and our receivers which - in my opinion - was our weakest group.  Thanks to Sarge for his regular updates to the team roster.  It adds to the enjoyment of this site and made this task easier.  First, some basics on wide receivers.  The three wide receivers are the Z, X and Slot.  The Z lines up opposite the tight end and is on the line of scrimmage (usually).  It is key for a Z to be able to beat press coverage since the corner usually tries to jam him.  Deep speed is essential for a Z since he makes a living along the sideline.  If you do not threaten a defense deep, they will load the box until you complete some deep passes. The X, or flanker, lines up next to the tight end and is not always on the line of scrimmage.  Frequently in motion (depending on the formation) the X is usually a tougher player who catches a lot of balls over the middle.  The slot guy lines up in the backfield and can get going behind the line of scrimmage which allows smaller players to thrive in the slot.  This is also why smaller guys have a tough time outside.  There are always exceptions, but the basics remain.  You need to have some size to play outside unless you are a scary player (see Tyreek Hill).

 

A quick review of last season’s receivers. We mostly played our slot receiver (Crowder) as a starter and everybody here should remember why.  The plan was to start Mims and Perriman but both got hurt and were not healthy until the second half of the year.  Worse, the backup plan was to play the Smiths and THEY got hurt too.  What a fiasco!  We ended up playing Chris Hogan straight off the street with Crowder outside and put our punt returner - Berrios - in the slot.   Needless to say, this did not scare anybody.  We routinely faced eight guys in the box.  At tight end, Herndon kept dropping his opportunities despite winning the starting job hands down.  Let’s be fair, the unit underperformed.  The 2020 Jets had the worse offense in the league.

 

Jamison Crowder.  It say a lot about the state of the 2021 Jets that our best wideout was Crowder since he is a slot receiver - and therefore - is not supposed to be an every down player.  Nevertheless, we frequently lined him up outside on early downs since he was better than the alternatives.   A former 3d round pick of the Redskins, he caught 59 balls on 89 targets for 699 yards in 12 games and played hurt at times.  As a player he reminds me of Jeremy Kerley.  Quicker than fast, with good hands.  He is a tough assignment for nickel backs inside.  But he is small and has short arms.  While he is fine in the slot (a bit above average for the NFL), when he lines up outside he neither fills the need for an X or a Z.  He is too easy to jam which wrecks timing patterns and he lacks the deep speed to force safety coverage over the top.  He is under contract for next season and will play the slot again.  If we have to play him outside again - well what is the definition of stupid (doing the same thing and expecting different results).  He is a good but limited player.  I do not like receivers who are limited to the slot.  Naturally, we have two of them.  But he was a free agent when we got him and was better than the alternatives at the time.   

 

Breshard Perriman.  He came to the Jets on a one-year "prove it" deal.  Needless to say, the whole league was unwilling to offer a longer deal.  He caught 30 balls on 60 targets.  A former first round pick, Perriman offers good size and excellent downtown speed.  But he has not produced for a full season in his career nor has he been able to remain healthy.  This held true for the Jets last year as he played in 12 games and also played hurt early.  At times the ball was there but he did not come down with it.  Other times the ball was there but he reacted too late because he was not looking for it.  He could have had a better season had he shown some more “want to” or demonstrated better awareness.  While I would bring him back near the veteran minimum to play a reserve role, I MUST upgrade the starting position.  He is not a starter.  I suspect he will get more money elsewhere on another one-year deal and will move on to another team.  And that’s OK.  I am not being cheap with Woody's money.  I just cannot offer him a starting job and will offer payment accordingly.   He is worthwhile as a reserve and will catch on somewhere.

 

Braxton Berrios.  A slot receiver, he made the most of his opportunities and played all 16 games.  He returned punts too.  He caught 37 balls on 55 targets.  He clearly outplayed his role and salary. But he is short at 5’ 9”, has short arms and small hands.  Lacking downtown speed, he is basically a poor man’s Crowder.  A former 6th round pick of the hated Patriots, he made the club as a kick returner.  While he is under contract for next year, I must upgrade the position and he is on the bubble. 

 

Denzel Mims.  So much depended on this young man that you wonder how we passed on him initially.  When he went down, we went with him.  A solid 6’ 2.5” and 207 he is exactly how you draw up a wide receiver.  Ourlads listed his hands at 9 3/8 and his arms at 33 7/8.  He was clocked at 4.37 for his forty.  He played in nine games and caught 23 balls on 44 targets for 357 yards.  Not great.  But coming from a college spread offense, he had to learn the NFL route tree.  He also returned from a high ankle sprain and that does not heal during a season.  He played with it.  He is tough and has that great long speed.  But he showed promise and has the deep speed to play the Z and the build to play the X.  I noticed the difference when he got snaps late in the season.  It was when I realized we would not go winless. I pencil him in as the starter at one of those spots.  I have high hopes for him.

 

Jeff Smith.  Ah, poor Jeff Smith.  He climbed the mountain that is converting to NFL receiver from college QB.  He made the team.  The starters got hurt.  He went into the game . . . and . . . he dropped the ball when thrown to him and got hurt to boot.  He caught 17 balls on 37 targets for 161 yards in 12 games.  He has good size at 6’ 200.  The Jets were high on him going into the season.  So much promise, sigh. He is a exclusive rights free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Vyncint Smith.  He showed real promise in 2019 and I thought he was a decent part of the mix going into 2020.  He has great size at 6’ 3” 202.  He was hurt most of the year like everyone not named Berrios.  He caught 1 ball on 3 targets in seven games.  Like Jeff Smith, we really needed him and he got his chance.  Sigh.  He is a restricted free agent.  I would bring him back to compete for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Lawrence Cager.  Great size at 6’ 5” 215, he played two games and caught two balls on six targets.  I had hoped the Jets would use him more given the alternatives.  I suppose it speaks volumes that the Jets would rather play Crowder outside than give others snaps despite the lack of production.  He will be back to contend for a spot but he is on the bubble.

 

Josh Malone.  He caught 4 balls on 6 targets in four games after coming to the Jets off the street.  He will be back but is on the bubble.

 

Chris Hogan.  While the Jets cut him after guys got healthy, he caught 14 balls on 26 targets in five games while he soaked up snaps that could have gone to the young pups like Cager.  This left me mystified. Still does.      

 

As you can see, the only receivers on our roster that I want to see return next year are Mims and Crowder. Worse, I only want to see Crowder in the slot.  Everybody else is on the bubble or playing for the minimum. 

 

Tight ends.  A brief explanation on the tight end position.  They come in two types.  Inline tight ends and H backs.  H backs lack the power to be every down players and line up behind the line of scrimmage or split out wide like a receiver.  Inline guys must be able to block or the whole offense suffers.

 

Chris Herndon.  Will the real Chris Herndon please stand up?  His rookie year in 2018 was a revelation.  Too fast for linebackers and too big for defensive backs, he was a monster.  Then he got suspended, came into camp out of shape, got hurt and missed the season.  $hit.  Then he came into camp for 2020 with a tight stomach and loaded for bear.  He easily dispensed with the challenge from the well-paid Ryan Griffin and resumed his role as the starter.  He started the full 16 games.  He caught 31 balls on 45 targets for 287 yards.  He also lost two fumbles.  Yikes.  While many Jet fans say they want to replace him, I must tell you that is not too likely.  That is not because he is a great receiver. He dropped too many balls, many were of the WTF! variety.  Instead, it is because he is a solid inline blocking tight end.  Get used to him fellas.  He can block the job well and kept the other tight ends on the bench.  There was a reason for that.  I only hope he can regain the magic of his first season.  Even if he does not, he will be a sought after commodity by the NFL because he can block inside and he scares defenses (along with Jet fans and the coaching staff).  Penalty machines with alligator arms like Matt Mulligan stayed in the league for years because they could block.  So will Herndon. 

 

Ryan Griffin.  After a decent campaign in 2019 with Herndon going AWOL, the Jets forked over a decent three year deal for Griffin.  Why, I have no idea.  I still have no idea.  He caught 9 balls on 12 targets for 86 yards.  We extended this guy even though he is another team’s castoff who came cheap and had one decent year before coming to the Jets.  He lost his starting job to Herndon and never got it back.  Herndon was no great shakes fellas.  Not a good sign.  Cutting him would require eating millions in dead money.  I expect him to remain on the roster for that reason.  At least he played special teams.  He is not the answer.

 

Trevon Wesco.  He caught 1 ball on 2 targets for five yards.  At least he can play fullback on short yardage and is decent at it.  Not the answer.

 

Daniel Brown.  He caught 2 balls on 2 targets for 31 yards.  He is a core special teams player and does it well.  He will have a job in the NFL next season whether it is with us or not.  He will be back.

 

Well, there you have it.  The 2020 Jets receivers.  Let’s face it fellas.  It is arguably one of the worst collections of players the Jets have ever fielded.  Not only was there poor production, but there is very little to suggest that there is any upside there.  Out of five roster spots for receiver and three for tight end, it is Mims and Herndon.  While many wish to blame Darnold, I must point out that the only other place to throw rocks is at the interior offense line which – at times – was completely non-competitive. What bothers me is the wide receiver lineup does not even project.  Without Mims, we were playing two slot guys.

 

We MUST take a wideout at 23 or 34.  It is as simple as that.  If we took wideouts at BOTH 23 and 34 I would understand.  They would make the team and play all the time.  For those who want to take Chase, Devonta Smith or Waddle, I do too.  But I cannot justify it with a franchise tackle on the board.  We are not good enough to miss on the #2 pick.  We must take the sure thing or trade back if offered a fair deal. 

As for the tight ends, we could do worse than Herndon but the team could use an H back as all of our guys are inline tight ends.  Plus Wesco has youth going for him and is generally a rugged guy.

@Tony The Wiz i see you're posting under a different alias

[clayton163v]

12 hours ago, RoadFan said:

If they trade down to 4 or 5....

Draft.  Kyle.  Pitts.

I wouldn't be upset if they took him at 2.   This guy is Kelce, Waller, and Kittlesque...

I fear that Pitts is an H back or a big wideout.  More like Chase Claypool of the Steelers who is also 240.  It is hard to justify taking an H back early in the draft.  

[clayton163v]

1 hour ago, GodDamnSnack said:

Great post, thanks for sharing! I learned a lot and it was easy to read because you didn't use stupid words like x-factor . Would love to read your take on other positions. Please do share if you have the time

I will go through them one by  one.

[clayton163v]

28 minutes ago, Paradis said:

@Tony The Wiz i see you're posting under a different alias

No, its me.  I used to post on the old NY Times message board - among others.  Some here remember me.

[nycdan]

4 minutes ago, clayton163v said:

I fear that Pitts is an H back or a big wideout.  More like Chase Claypool of the Steelers who is also 240.  It is hard to justify taking an H back early in the draft.  

Just curious.  What's so bad about drafting Chase Claypool?  His rookie numbers were fantastic except for his catch %.  If he figures that out, he's going to be a stud.

Size-wise, Pitts is pretty close to Calvin Johnson.