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During the 2015 season, the Jets had one of the best receiving corps in the NFL led by Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. After a let down 2016 season, the Jets decided to let go of both of these players, and going into 2017, fans didn’t know what to expect from this receiving corps that appeared to have a lot of holes.
Well, there’s actually room for excitement, as this group of receivers the Jets have could be in line for a bright future. They have a veteran led by Jermaine Kearse, who has been pretty solid as the Jets number 2 option this year, with 4 touchdowns and 380 receiving yards. The Jets acquired him in a trade before the season started that involved sending Sheldon Richardson to the Seahawks, and this trade appears to have worked out for the Jets, as every group of receivers needs a leader. Kearse might not put up big numbers, but there’s no denying the positive impact he has on the younger players.
Then there’s Robby Anderson. After showing some strong signs in 2016, Anderson in 2017 has turned himself into a legitimate deep ball threat, as he has 4 touchdowns this year with 483 receiving yards. After a slow start to the season, he’s turning into Josh McCown’s go to guy. At just 24 years old, there’s much to be excited about with Anderson, who is the Jets number 1 receiver, and he should continue to get better. In addition to his speed, he has shown that he has really good hands, and he’s made some big time catches here in 2017.
But next season, look for Quincy Enunwa to be the Jets number one receiving option assuming he comes back healthy. Enunwa’s been out all season with a neck injury, but he had a breakout 2016 season, with 857 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Another player who continued to improve through 2015 and 2016, he’s a guy who could turn into one of the best receivers in the game. We forget the Jets will have this talented player back on their roster in 2018.
With these 3 players set to return in 2018, the Jets receiving corps is something to be excited about. They have the veteran leader in Jermaine Kearse and they have two young explosive players in Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson. What’s great about Anderson and Enunwa is the fact that they bring different elements to the team. Anderson’s more of a deep ball threat, and Eunwa’s just a big physical target, almost like having a second tight end on the field. With these 3 receivers and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who’s turning into one of the better tight ends in football, it appears the Jets have no holes on their receiving corp. They have other holes they will need to fill during the 2018 offseason, but their receiving corp is not one of them. Having a strong receiving corps could be a big help for whoever the next Jet quarterback is in 2018, and they’ve certainly been a big help to Josh McCown here in 2017.
All Stats as of November 12th, 2017 via Pro-Football-Reference.
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