How did Jamison Crowder compare to NFL’s best slot receivers in 2019?

The Jets didn’t have too many offensive bright spots, but Jamison Crowder proved he could produce from the all-important slot position.

Jamison Crowder proved to be the most important offensive player for the Jets in 2019. He quickly became a favorite target of Sam Darnold’s and finished the year with a team-high in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.

Whether it was a combination of game script, scheme or a lack of protection, Darnold loved throwing the ball Crowder’s way. The wideout owned a 24.8 percent target share, 11th-highest in the league in 2019, and he made the most of it. 

Crowder’s ability in the slot made him even more valuable, though, and his production ranked among the best in the NFL at the receiver position. Adam Gase used Crowder the best of the Jets’ skill position players. Crowder ran 70 percent of his 802 offensive snaps out of the slot in 2019 and caught 58 balls from the slot, which ranked fourth in the league behind only Larry Fitzgerald, Cooper Kupp and Julian Edelman, according to Pro Football Focus. His five touchdowns and 648 yards out of the slot also ranked fifth and ninth in the league, respectively.

Crowder wasn’t just a great slot receiver, he was also the Jets’ best red zone receiver as well. He led the team with 15 targets, which accounted for 30.6 percent of the Jets’ targets inside the 20-yard line, which ranked 20th in the league. All six of his touchdowns came in the red zone as well, including this beauty against the Ravens that had a 24 percent completion probability, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

Crowder’s success is, sadly, a direct result of the Jets’ inept offense. New York ranked 28th in yards per completion with 10.7, which is coincidentally Crowder’s yards per completion total as well. The Jets also finished dead last with only 33 red zone attempts, meaning the Jets leaned on their slot receiver more inside the 20. 

The signing of Crowder during the 2018 offseason came with little fanfare, but the production far outweighed the rest of that free agency class. Another year with Darnold and Gase should help Crowder build on his solid 2019 campaign, especially after Joe Douglas fortified the offensive line – which should help Le’Veon Bell – and brought in two speedy outside receivers in Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims.

Regardless of the improvements on offense and the development of Darnold, the Jets will likely lean on Crowder once more in 2020 amid all of the uncertainty around the influx of talent. It will be hard to gauge how much better this team will be this season without a full offseason, but Crowder’s presence should ease concerns given his easy inclusion in Gase’s offense with Darnold at the helm. A healthy quarterback and stable offensive line should only make things easier for Crowder and the Jets, and their slot production could see a spike in efficiency even if the stats don’t increase.