The Jets may already be looking to cut veteran wide receiver Quincy Enunwa 14 months after giving him a four-year, $36 million extension. Enunwa should have been one of Sam Darnold’s top receiving options, but instead missed all but the first game of the 2019 season with his second serious neck injury in three seasons. 

Joe Douglas and Adam Gase don’t have any ties to Enunwa, so it’s not inconceivable for the Jets to cut him despite him still having three years left on his contract. If the Jets keep Enunwa, he’ll count $7.8 million against the cap in 2020, which is eighth-highest on the team. If they cut him loose, the Jets save $2.4 million but eat $5.4 million in dead money. The Jets have until the fifth day of the 2020 league year – March 22 – to decide on Enunwa before his entire 2020 salary becomes guaranteed only against injury.

So, what should they do?

Pros for keeping him

Enunwa is a big-bodied receiver who developed a nice report with Sam Darnold early in the 2018 season. He saw 36 targets over the first four weeks of the season and finished with the third-most targets on the team despite only playing in 11 games. When he’s been healthy, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound wideout is a great possession receiver who can do the work of a tight end with the speed of a wideout.

Though there are obvious concerns over his health – he’s missed 24 games since 2015 – Enunwa provides a veteran option for Darnold, especially if the Jets decide not to re-sign Robby Anderson. But considering his ability, size and comfortability with Darnold, it may be easier for the Jets to keep Enunwa and maintain a level of consistency on their offense rather than find his replacement elsewhere.

His $2.4 million cap savings may not be enough to warrant a release, either.

Pros of cutting him

Enunwa’s injury history remains his biggest question mark. He hasn’t proven he can stay healthy and has missed lots of time in his short NFL career. Not only is Enunwa coming off his second major neck injury – the first forced him to miss the entire 2017 season – he’s also only played one full 16-game season in his career – 2016 – which unsurprisingly was also his most productive year.

Regardless of his health, Enunwa also hasn’t shown he can be consistently productive, either. He averaged 6.6 targets per game during his career season in 2016, but only averaged 3.6 receptions per game, 53 yards per game with only four touchdowns. During Darnold’s rookie season in 2018, Enunwa’s torrid start simmered out quickly. He averaged 5.25 receptions for 69.5 yards in the first four years but only 2.4 receptions for 24.4 yards over the final seven.

The Jets really don’t know how Enunwa will fit into Gase’s offense, either. In his only game of 2019, Enunwa finished with just one reception on three targets for -4 yards. Even in the preseason, Enunwa only caught two balls for 14 yards. Douglas might not see any value in keeping Enunwa with his small sample size.

The verdict

This is a tough one. Enunwa can be a solid contributor on offense but hasn’t proven to be reliable, both in his production and durability. His cap hit isn’t extreme and the savings are minimal, meaning the benefits of cutting him don’t outweigh the potential reward of keeping him if he proves to rebound to his old self. Enunwa himself said he wants to continue playing for the Jets despite his health concerns but he has also expressed displeasure with how the Jets organization handled his injury treatments.

Ultimately, Enunwa’s injury risks can’t be ignored and Douglas could easily find a replacement for Enunwa’s production without worrying about his availability. The Jets would be better suited by cutting their losses and finding a different way to spend the savings.