When Breshad Perriman and Chris Hogan made their first receptions last week, they became the 15th and 16th different wide receivers to catch passes from Sam Darnold in his 27-game career. That's a lot of turnover for any quarterback, let alone a young, developing player.
More troubling than the quantity is the lack of quality. Of the 16, only two posted a 1,000-yard season in his career -- Demaryius Thomas (five times) and Terrelle Pryor (once), both of whom were on their last legs by the time they got to the Jets.
What a shame. The Jets have a talented quarterback, and they're stunting his growth by surrounding him with replacement-level talent. It's an old story. This is a franchise that hasn't drafted a Pro Bowl receiver since Keyshawn Johnson (1996) and hasn't drafted a 1,000-yard receiver since Jerricho Cotchery (2004).
It's unfair to slam general manager Joe Douglas because he has had one offseason to address the issue, but let's be honest: He left Darnold short at the position.
The Perriman-for-Robby Anderson swap in free agency was a downgrade in talent that saved $5.5 million in 2020 cash. Worth it? Not so far.
Douglas drafted only one receiver, second-round pick Denzel Mims, who might be terrific if his hamstrings ever let him get on the field. It was one of the richest receiver drafts in history. Instead of using a fourth-round pick on developmental quarterback James Morgan, who might never see the field, he should have tapped into the loaded draft for a second receiver.
It wasn't a great free-agent class, but it's worth noting three of the most productive receivers in Week 1 changed teams in the offseason -- Anderson (Carolina Panthers), DeAndre Hopkins (trade to Arizona Cardinals) and Stefon Diggs (trade to Buffalo Bills). In other words, big-time talent was on the move and could have been had.
Yes, the Jets have been beset by injuries, but this was a suspect cast of characters before players started going down. Now slot receiver Jamison Crowder (hamstring), the Jets' only reliable target, is banged up and won't play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
It's a tough spot for Darnold, but he can't let the adversity affect his decision-making, which happened last week. Maybe, in a few weeks, he can have Perriman, Crowder and Mims on the field together. Even then, it's hardly ideal, although Darnold disputed the notion he lacks playmakers.
"That’s not true at all," he said. "We have really good playmakers."
Clearly, Douglas is building the team with a long-term view, which is fine, but the part that doesn't square is that he hasn't fully maximized the window on Darnold's rookie contract by getting him better targets. They should explore a trade for Allen Robinson of the Chicago Bears -- not for a first-round pick, obviously, but there could be a creative way to get something done. Will the Jets do it?
Doubt it.
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More troubling than the quantity is the lack of quality. Of the 16, only two posted a 1,000-yard season in his career -- Demaryius Thomas (five times) and Terrelle Pryor (once), both of whom were on their last legs by the time they got to the Jets.
What a shame. The Jets have a talented quarterback, and they're stunting his growth by surrounding him with replacement-level talent. It's an old story. This is a franchise that hasn't drafted a Pro Bowl receiver since Keyshawn Johnson (1996) and hasn't drafted a 1,000-yard receiver since Jerricho Cotchery (2004).
It's unfair to slam general manager Joe Douglas because he has had one offseason to address the issue, but let's be honest: He left Darnold short at the position.
The Perriman-for-Robby Anderson swap in free agency was a downgrade in talent that saved $5.5 million in 2020 cash. Worth it? Not so far.
Douglas drafted only one receiver, second-round pick Denzel Mims, who might be terrific if his hamstrings ever let him get on the field. It was one of the richest receiver drafts in history. Instead of using a fourth-round pick on developmental quarterback James Morgan, who might never see the field, he should have tapped into the loaded draft for a second receiver.
It wasn't a great free-agent class, but it's worth noting three of the most productive receivers in Week 1 changed teams in the offseason -- Anderson (Carolina Panthers), DeAndre Hopkins (trade to Arizona Cardinals) and Stefon Diggs (trade to Buffalo Bills). In other words, big-time talent was on the move and could have been had.
Yes, the Jets have been beset by injuries, but this was a suspect cast of characters before players started going down. Now slot receiver Jamison Crowder (hamstring), the Jets' only reliable target, is banged up and won't play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
It's a tough spot for Darnold, but he can't let the adversity affect his decision-making, which happened last week. Maybe, in a few weeks, he can have Perriman, Crowder and Mims on the field together. Even then, it's hardly ideal, although Darnold disputed the notion he lacks playmakers.
"That’s not true at all," he said. "We have really good playmakers."
Clearly, Douglas is building the team with a long-term view, which is fine, but the part that doesn't square is that he hasn't fully maximized the window on Darnold's rookie contract by getting him better targets. They should explore a trade for Allen Robinson of the Chicago Bears -- not for a first-round pick, obviously, but there could be a creative way to get something done. Will the Jets do it?
Doubt it.
Jets' perpetual rebuild is stunting Sam Darnold's development
By surrounding their third-year franchise quarterback with replacement-level talent, the Jets are setting themselves up for potential failure.
