Do We Still Need A Top WR?
Mack Rosenberg writes for SBNation’s NY Landing Strip, and writes a weekly column here at TheJetsBlog. This week, he takes a tough-love look at the Jets wide receivers.
Hey, everyone. Glad to be back here on TJB. This week, I thought I’d put a twist on the topics, switching over to some non-draft related stuff. I have noticed a lot of very interesting things this off season, and I’m glad I can continue to share my thoughts with you right here.
So the Jets look to be have signed Laveranues Coles to a new contract, something we’ve been hearing about all week. Look, I’m happy we’re taking him back, at his demands of course, and I think he can still be a nice threat when healthy. But what about when he’s not healthy? Can we seriously rely on Jerricho Cotchery, a guy who has played in Coles’ shadow over the past two years and only shown flashes of greatness?
Once again, you give me the Coles of old and I’m sold that we are tight at WR. But time have changed, and the Jets may want to look at going after another receiver to compliment Cotchery and Coles. Personally, I think both will greatly increase their performances from last year since we have a much better pass protection what with the pickups of Faneca and Woody on the o-line. However, it wouldn’t kill us to add another guy that can be further benefited by these new additions.
The first guy that comes to mind is Chad Johnson, who was involved in quite a bit of rumors at the beginning of the offseason concerning a possible trade. If I’m not mistaken, Marvin Lewis shot down those rumors, and all has been quiet since. However, I’m not convinced Chad doesn’t want out of Cinci. If he does, I see no reason why Woody Johnson wouldn’t be able to help out another Johnson. Yes, his salary-even without looking at the numbers-may be hefty, but you know he will make you proud in the long run. Plus, it looks to me like the Bengals are slowly but surely taking that leap from Johnson to T.J. Houshmanzedeh, who had a career year last year, showing what he could do when Ocho couldn’t quite perform.
I’m not saying that getting Chad Johnson should be the number one priority for this team, but I am saying that it should be a priority to get another wideout who can perform when healthy.
The bottom line is, I love the new additions the Jets made to their offensive line this off season, and I think getting someone who could benefit greatly from these additions would really make this team a lot better. What do you think? Do you think these additions would greatly benefit Coles and Cotchery enough? Or do we need to go out and get someone better to compliment them? Tell me what you think in the comments, as I know there will be some.
Also, please be sure to check out my Jets blog over at SB Nation, NY Landing Strip, where you can post diaries on anything Jets and I can respond to them. It’s really a cool feature on a relatively new blog so please check it out in your spare time and help me get a good leap into the blogging world! I know Brian has done so already by accepting me here, and I hope you will do so over on my site. Have a good one, and enjoy opening day in baseball!
37 Responses to Do We Still Need A Top WR?
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J Scott says:
If we can afford him, Chad Johnson is a great pickup. It’s time to bring back the aerial threat to the Jets, lacking since 1998: Keyshawn, Chrebet, and Vinny T.
Most Jet fans would love to see Chad Johnson, Coles, and Cotchery line up in a 3 WR set, with Kellen Clemens throwing lasers. With a revamped O-line and some battle-tested experience, I believe Clemens will be much more accurate this year.
Chad Johnson’s personality is a potential liability, but if he buys into Mangini’s no-nonsense system (much like Moss and Belichik), I don’t think there will be problems. Just a little more entertainment and some added media coverage… wouldnt mind that either!
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Johnny Styne says:
Clemens’ ability to throw long can only thrive if we have a legitimate deep threat to keep the defenses honest. If Chad starts we should bench our wide receivers for their own protection and go with only running backs.
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SackDance99 says:
Until the Jets have a bona fide QB, trading for a diva WR, like Chad Johnson could be a train wreck. Imagine poor KC hesitating too long for the umpteenth time when Ocho Cinco was open? He’d get in KC’s face or start a press campaign, exactly the wrong thing KC needs. And, forget Chad, every deep flutter ball would cause Ocho Cinco to spit up his grille. I think drafting a speedy WR, or trading for a non-diva WR, would be much better.
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Vbsiena24 says:
Yea Chad Johnson would require us to give up a lot of draft picks. Picks to be used to fill multiples needs. So fill 1 need with Chad or multiple with draft picks.
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Thurdeye says:
I think the Jets would benefit more with a small/quick 3rd down type of reciever like Chrebet or Wes Welker.
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Harlan Lachman says:
Johnny wins the Kewpie Doll. Coles and Q both can go over the middle (as can Baker) and make catches in traffic. While SD and Thurdeye are right that we have not had a throw long offense or a QB who can execute it, the QB we need is more likely to show up if we get a WR who, tall or not, can stretch the field (either Kellen shows up as the guy, the QB we draft is the guy or our #1 FA acquisition next year is the guy).
harlan
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MB927LI says:
I don’t think trading for chad johnson would be a good move, he would require too much money and draft picks/players. We should look to the draft for another WR, don’t forget we have Chansi Stuckey from Clemson who was on IR last year as a rookie. I believe he is supposed to be a slot reciever and could be good. Brad Smith also seemed to be developing into a reliable reciever and we know he has the ability to take it to the house. James hardy would be a good pickup if hes still there in 2nd round
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JustAGreenGuy says:
I lived in Cincinnati for college and just recently left. Go XU btw. I was forced to watch Bengals games, while I watched Jets games on NFL.com (I want to get paid for that plug). Now to the point, Houshmanzadeh had his first non injury plagued year last year. The Bengals want to keep Chad at all costs. He is the reason Housh got open. Housh would go underneath while Chad stretched the field.
Get a WR in the draft. Chad wants to go to a contender and Mangini does not want him and the NY media to be together.
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I didn’t mena to imply that Housh isn’t good btw he runs crisp routes and has great hands. Having Chad accross from him makes him great.
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Mike G says:
This is a pretty simple discussion, Chad Johnson would obviously make our team much better, but I don’t think the jets have the money, desire, or willingness to part with draft picks to get him. Plus if you ask me Cincinatti would be stupid to trade him no matter what he says.
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Freeman24 says:
The problem with the Jets WR corp is obvious, its height. The problem with bringing in a guy like Johnson is first who plays the slot WR when you go 3 wide and more importantly who sits when you play just 2? I think Cotcherys still has upside and you didn’t pay Coles 11M to take snaps off (plus you’d have to coldcock him to get him off the field)No Jet fans we need to invest in a WR but especially given the free agent dollars given out it needs to be in the draft. Take the best TALL wideout with the 2nd or 3rd pick and let him develop behind our starters for a year or two. Sign a Tim Dwight like Vet to compete with the Rook, Smith and Stuckey for snaps this year.
If Clemens develops and neither the Rook, Smith or Stuckey give you the warm and fuzzies spend on a Chad Johnson type next off season to put us over the top.
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billvv says:
Must draft a WR, no doubt about it. Look to the second round, pick 36. My favorite is Devin Thomas at this point, but it takes a year or two to be any good, so I’m hoping Smith, Stuckey, or Washington even, can be good in the slot this year.
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jetfan718 says:
Eddie Royal, Donnie Avery, William, Franklin and Paul Hubbard are all deep threat WR’s that should last past the second round…we could use the second round to get a solid CB…
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I think the Jets will go bpa for pretty much the hole draft, so with the 2nd round pick, 36, whichever cb or wr is the bpa thats who they will take. Don’t count out Brad Smith as the slot receiver
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Nikolas says:
This year, Kellen Clemens will go from the worst rated QB in the NFL to the bowl..room. He will be tremendous..and save Tennenbaum’s and Mangini’s jobs.This is the reason we signed Richardson and Bubba Franks , Faneca and Woody, traded our rebuilding picks for Chris Jenkins and gave in free agency hundread of millions of dollars….in order to let KC develop…… If he only could have Chad Johnson too…
I like KC, as I like all Jet players because they are my team, but this team has a chance of 10 or more wins if CHAD PENNINGTON is the starting QB.
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ramble914 says:
I think we definetly need to add another WR to our corp, but I think we should do this through the draft. I do not think we should mortage the future by trading for a high salary, high maintenance player like Chad Johnson. It would cost too much in money and draft picks, and the first time he didn’t get enough balls thrown his way he would be raking the organization through the mud in the press. I would love to be able to draft a guy like James Hardy or Mario Manningham. It would accomplish what the draft is all about, re-stocking players ecomomically and efficiently. I also like the WR we have now LC and JC are our two starters and having Stuckey, and Smith are quality backups, also keep an eye on Wallace Wright he is tall, fast and tough, he may become a gamer.
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Nickolas,
That is a hell of a contradiction in statements…”KC will have a tremendous year and save Tangini’s jobs…to… “but this team has a chance of 10 or more wins if CHAD PENNINGTON is the starting QB”. How can KC have a tremendous year if CP is winning 10 games?
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ramble914…. I am trying to be consistent ….with the contradiction between “reality” and some of the fans’ “desires”.
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RK says:
Jets Nation today had a long segment about the WRs. I do think drafting one would be great but there are 5, kind of, with Brad Smith and Wallace Wright being special teamers too. Height is a necessity though at some point having a big target is extremely important for possession receptions and red zone.
Just one foot of separation a big receiver can get with strength and long arms is sometimes the difference between 3 and out or a TD drive. And it adds up over a year. Plus big receivers punish DBs and they think twice before hitting someone 6’4″ and 230lbs. I think the TE set is great for that too so I hope Bubba’s got some juice left.
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dakar says:
am i missing something…as far as i know chad johnson isn’t going anywhere as marvin lewis put it…unless we offer something big to cinci i dont see cj coming to the jets…at all…plus he has a hugh $8 million price tag on his head…so either a new rumor emerged or every1 is dreaming again…i dont know but its only been 2 days i’ve been away…but as far as needing another wideout…yeah,i agree and it should be through the draft…just my thoughts
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Ilan says:
I’m with RK on this, one of the biggest weaknesses of this team the pat few years has been an inability to get the ball in the end zone in red zone possessions. Maybe the Jets signed Franks to be that bigger red zone option but I don’t view that as sufficient. That’s why I think the top need on this team is a big red zone receiver. It doesn’t take a veteran to be able to win jump balls in the endzone against smaller corners.
After addressing that need the Jets can go about improving/adding depth at the defensive end position, inside linebacker, outside linebacker, cornerback and the offensive line.
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are-tee says:
I think the Jets need to add another receiver, but the lack of a deep threat was due to the lack of time the QB’s had to throw. If the upgrades on the OL pan out, Coles and Cotchery will catch plenty of bombs.
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Oh, Chad is a bad fit on a young team. There aren’t the veterans/stars here to keep him in line. If Palmer has little influence, what would happen with Kellen?
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Nickolas,
Sorry, I guess I was taking you too literally. Now I see your point.
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joe says:
Bringing Ocho Cinco into the middle of a likely QB “controversy” is close to the last thing I would do if I ran the Jets.
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Mike says:
I pretty disapointed at the fans on this site for completely disragarding the diss on Cotchery in this article! Cotchery is a fonafide stud! Greatness? Anyone remember the NE catch? Cotchery is a #1 receiver! Last years stats were like ~89 catches for ~1200 yards and ~ 6 tds with different QBs and one of the worst O- Lines ever! Imagine what his numbers would have been with better protection… say a moddest %10 per cent would be around 100 catches and ~ 1400 yards and ~ 7 TDS. The WR core can/should be questioned but NOT! Cotchery!
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*Bonafide
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wayne80 says:
Cotchery is one of the best number two recievers in the NFL, which does not make him great.
I have felt since all this started that the Jets will draft a BIG WR with their first pick, after moving down to the low teens (CAR?). Brad Smith is a bust, Stuckey is small and injury prone, Wright is just a player, there is zero depth at this position which hurt big time down the stretch last year.
Kelly or Sweed will be wearing the green and white for years to come, and finally there will be a player taller than 6 foot to go up and catch all those lobs they love to corner.
Ocho Cinco will be in CIN.
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Bent says: Don’t give up on Smith or Stuckey yet.
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ian says:
chad johnson punched his coach at half-time of a playoff game. i don’t need him on my team, thank you. i would have preferred berrian or stalworth to provide a deep threat, but i guess we couldn’t sign every free agent.
the problem with drafting a WR for this year is that with rare exceptions, WR take several years to develop. last year, calvin johnson was unanimously rated the best player in the draft and the best WR prospect in recent memory. and yet, his numbers were pedestrian, at best, even while playing in mike martz’s pass happy offense. i am happy with drafting a WR for the future, but for this season we must look to coles, cotchery, smith and stuckey. and like bent, i am not ready to give up on either of those last two.
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DJ says:
What about DeSean Jackson, playing the slot WR?
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I drafted Calvin Johnson for my fantasy team and he had some very good games and I don’t think it was lack of experience that prevented him from preforming it is the veterans and their contracts and needs for performance clauses, etc. There is definitely a “rookie” or “new guy” rule because the vets gotta make their cheddar and no rookie is going to come in a take “food” out of the mouth of an established player. Calvin Johnson on the Jets would be phenomenal even last year.
Plus, what QB in their right mind would pass to a rookie when he has a history with another players, knows that they both need to perform to make more money and there is no way to explain to a teammate, friends and family that he didn’t make an extra 500K because you threw to a rook.
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NYPete says:
I like Cotchery too, but he’s a number 2, not 1. On Pennington, I think he’s done, and the Jets need to let Kellen develop. But if Chad plays this year and wins 10 games, I will happily admit I was wrong.
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cbiscuit says:
Agree with Bent that we may have more depth at WR than we realize. Having said that, and realizing that we will be a ‘run-first’ offense, does Chad Johnson – aging, and with all his baggage – actually make sense for this team? A big target in the red zone is what fits our offense, and we should be able to get one in the second round cheaper and without the antics of Ocho Cinquo. James Hardy would be deadly at the back end of a fade route.
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Another interesting draft choice might be Jacob Tamme TE out of Kentucky. He is the fastest TE in this class and has phenomenal hands. Should be able to run down the seam against a cover 2 and would also be tough to cover in the red zone. I’ve seen play since high school and he’s the real deal. Graduated early and received many scholar/athlete awards. Should be available in rounds 4/5.
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Lafflin says:
Chad Johnson is not a good fit, we’ve made our big FA acquisitions for the year, it’s simply not happening.
And Chad is going to be the QB next year. They’re going to compete for the job and chad is going to win. As far as his arm strength, hopefully it’ll be enough. Chad is only a small part of the reason we couldn’t stretch the field last year, but a he was a part to be fair. I would expect though that Chad has been doing everything he can to strengthen his arm. If our O-line lives up to expectations look for teams to play eight in the box and create one on ones for the Jets recievers, and if all goes well Chad has a Career year.
I agree if we can get another reciever either for the future or the now with Chad Johnson it will help our offense greatly. Right now we are commited to the run, if we bring in another passing threat in it will only make us stronger.