The Jets need receiver help after injuries hit the team hard this offseason and a veteran wideout just hit the open market.
Mohamed Sanu, who played the second half of the 2019 season in New England after 3.5 seasons with the Falcons, could be a target for the Jets after the Patriots released him Wednesday. Sanu had a horrific 2019 season and wouldn’t be a great addition to New York’s receiver corp, but he would be a solid stopgap if the team’s numerous injury recovery times don’t look promising.
Five of the Jets’ best receivers missed practice since the start of training camp with various injuries. Breshad Perriman (knee), Vyncint Smith (core), Jeff Smith (shoulder), Denzel Mims (hamstring) and Lawrence Cager (knee) are all recovering and most are questionable or out for Week 1. Mims and Cager returned in a limited capacity Wednesday, but it’s tough to expect much from the two rookies when the Jets play the Bills in 10 days. Joe Douglas signed Chris Hogan and Donte Moncrief in an attempt to solve the holes on the roster, but they were previously free agents for a reason.
The same can be said for Sanu, too, after a horrid 2019 season.
Sanu recently turned 31 and finished the season with his fewest receptions since 2016 and fewest yards and touchdowns since his rookie season in 2012. He also had an inefficient year – Sanu finished 74th out of 81 receivers in Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement and 73rd out of 81 in Defense-adjusted Value Over Average, per Football Outsiders. He only tallied 0.94 yards per route (62nd in the league), 5.8 yards per target (95th) and 334 completed air yards.
He’s not as good as he once was, but he’s at least more experienced and capable than a lot of the Jets’ current wideouts. Jamison Crowder is locked in as Sam Darnold’s go-to pass-catcher in the middle of the field, but unless Mims and Perriman return quickly, the Jets lack an outside receiver. Sanu doesn’t fit that description, but he’d fill in admirably as another possession receiver alongside Crowder, Hogan and Moncrief in the event Mims and Perriman aren’t ready for Week 1. Would he be an upgrade? Probably not. But the Patriots gave up a second-round pick for Sanu in 2019 , so they clearly saw value. He didn’t mesh with the Patriots offense but he could fit in Gase’s.
It’s slim pickings on the open market, and Sanu is probably the best of the bunch left. If the Jets can bring Sanu in on a cheap contract, he’s certainly worth a look. But otherwise, he’d just be another washed out veteran who wouldn’t necessarily elevate the Jets offense, but he wouldn’t tank it, either.