Cleared for touchdowns?
The Jets finished the 2021 season with a large receiver corps of Keelan Cole, Jamison Crowder, Denzel Mims and Jeff Smith as several regulars were on injured reserve.
Guided by quarterback Zach Wilson (when healthy) and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, the Jets will hope to enhance on their putrid wideout production in 2022: Jets wide receivers combined for 218 receptions, 2,603 yards and 14 touchdowns a 12 months ago. Injuries, a rookie QB and an inexperienced play-caller all stunted the team’s offensive growth last 12 months.
However it’s a latest season, and there is renewed optimism in Florham Park, especially within the wide receiver room. If health stays at optimal levels, Wilson takes a step forward and LaFleur settles right into a groove in his second 12 months, then the Jets have one in every of the NFL’s more intriguing groups on the position.
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Recent York values versatility in its wideout room, so it is likely to be unfair to expect a tried-and-true No. 1 receiver through all 17 games, but there’s still game-breaking potential within the group.
Jets WR depth chart
While it stays to be seen exactly how these receivers will earn their targets, here’s how depth chart could stack up:
1. Elijah Moore
2021 stats: 11 games (11 starts), 43 receptions, 538 yards, five touchdowns.
Moore missed time with an injury, but he showed in flashes why the Jets took him at the highest of Round 2 in 2021.
He may not be the largest receiver on the sector, but his route-running and skill to separate (3.4 yards of average separation in 2021) make him not only a fantasy sleeper, but additionally a first-rate candidate for breakout player of the 12 months.
Along with that, Moore’s versatility as an inside and outdoors receiver within the Jets’ scheme means he won’t get the identical look from the defense multiple times a game. That is something the Jets value, and it’s something that plays exceptionally well for a 2022 NFL wide receiver.
2. Corey Davis
2021 stats: Nine games (nine starts), 34 receptions, 492 yards, 4 touchdowns
Davis was a disappointment in numerous ways in 2021. He handled drop issues mainly, and he also missed time with an injury.
Davis will likely start the 12 months within the WR2 spot, but when 2022 first-round pick Garrett Wilson (see below) progresses through camp, then there’s a great probability Davis will drop down a spot on the chart before the beginning of the regular season.
3. Garrett Wilson
2021 stats: N/A
Arguably the largest battle of camp will probably be who occupies the No. 2 role behind Moore. Robert Saleh’s mission to make everyone on the sector earn their spot implies that Wilson, the No. 10 overall pick on this 12 months’s draft, is not guaranteed to start out opposite Moore in Week 1.
MORE: Why the Jets may very well be poised for NFL’s next ‘Bengals-type leap,’ based on Cris Collinsworth
Wilson, though, has displayed loads of the tools needed to be a WR1 within the NFL: he has excellent speed and athleticism. With some polish to his route-running, he could get there sooner relatively than later.
All this implies Wilson could have time develop in an offense that values his skill set, and Recent York could have a young, explosive 1-2 tandem for years to come back.
4. Braxton Berrios
2021 stats: 16 games (one start), 46 receptions, 431 yards, two touchdowns.
Berrios’ emergence as one in every of Wilson’s favorite targets and an elite kick returner in 2021 led to a two-year, $12 million contract with the Jets this offseason. That also didn’t get him a high spot on the depth chart.
When he sees the sector on offense, most of his snaps will come out of the slot: 284 of his snaps in 2021 got here from the slot while 97 got here out wide. With a healthier group in front of him on the depth chart, expect Berrios to work as a gadget wideout and a kick returner.
5. Denzel Mims
2021 stats: 11 games (three starts), eight receptions, 133 yards, no touchdowns.
Mims had a really disappointing sophomore season. He faced an uphill battle all 12 months playing in a latest offense.
In the course of the preseason, Mims lost a fight with salmon and subsequently lost weight, which stymied his progress within the offense. In the course of the season, Mims’ lack of versatility kept him glued to the bench. He played in only a handful of games until injuries forced him into motion.
If early camp reports are to be believed, Mims looks rejuvenated. But that nearly definitely won’t be enough for him to leap ahead of some receivers who’re ahead of him. There’s also a probability that Mims may not make the team out of camp, if he cannot pick up the offense.
