Tag: Jeff Smith

Six points with David Dorey

Six items worth watching heading into the NFL’s Week 4

It was going so well.

The Titans became “it” when they had players and personnel test positive for the COVID-19 virus. Their matchup will be scheduled later in the season and this week may become their bye. Hopefully, this will be the only instance that the NFL will have to deal with it (he said, crossing his fingers and then drawing an imaginary cross on his chest).

Six things going into the weekend:

  1. WR Darrius Shepherd (GB) – Allen Lazard lands on injured reserve after requiring core muscle surgery and will be out an expected six to eight weeks. Davante Adams is expected to return and he’ll soak up most of the targets. Whatever is leftover ends up with Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Darius Shepard. Technically, Shepard is the backup for Lazard and he was on the field for one target last week while Valdes-Scantling only managed one catch on his four targets.Shepard is the new addition to the starting wideouts and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He was the top receiver at North Dakota State for three years where he played with quarterback Easton Stick (Chargers). He’s worth watching on Moonday night since the Packers are hosting the Falcons and their receivers should all look great. If Shepard can get a share of the  targets, he may develop into something.
  2. QB Carson Wentz (PHI) – Three games into the season and Carson Wentz is currently the No. 14 fantasy quarterback but only because of two rushing scores. Without those, he’d be more around the No. 24 quarterback. The Eagles offensive line has lost two guards and the left tackle is injured. He’s been sacked 11 times and thrown six interceptions against three touchdowns. He’s become unfathomably bad and worsens every week. Hold on – it is not going to get any better.The Eagles next three matchups are at San Francisco, at Pittsburgh and then hosting the Ravens. Jalen Hurts may start eventually because none of the Eagles are going to look any good for the next three weeks. No line, a brutal schedule and injuries to wideouts are going to drag down the fantasy fortunes of all the Eagles.
  3. WR Jeff Smith (NYJ) – Grab your game program – who? In the Thursday night loss to the Broncos, Jamison Crowder returned and led the Jets with ten targets for seven catches and 104 yards. But the second-best wideout was Smith with nine targets for seven receptions and 81 yards.  Braxton Berrios failed to catch any of his three passes. This is not an offense to invest in but his production was notable for a team that cannot keep healthy players.The 6-1, 195-pound Boston College was as an undrafted free agent last year and he only managed one catch on the season. Smith had been on injured reserve with an shoulder  injury but was just activated. He had first-team reps in training camp prior to his injury. Worth tracking in case the Jets ever solve their offensive issues.
  4. WR Andy Isabella (ARI) –  The Cardinals’ diverse passing scheme from HC Kliff Kingsbury suddenly looks like the Texans last year. DeAndre Hopkins absorbs a huge chunk of the passing targets each week but there’s been a little leftover for the other wideouts. The surprising part is that for the last two weeks, Andy Isabella was more productive than either Christian Kirk or Larry Fitzgerald. After logging 67 yards on two catches in Week 2, he caught both of the passing touchdowns on his four receptions for 47 yards. He is the leading scorer for the wide receivers.The Cardinals drafted Isabella with the 2.30 pick out of U. Mass over the next two draftees – D.K. Metcalf and Diontae Johnson. Isabella ran a 4.31/40 at the NFL Combine. He only caught nine passes as a rookie but is starting to flex his ability. Notable too is that the Cardinals schedule will prompt more passing at Carolina, at NY Jets, at Dallas and then hosting Seattle.
  5. QB Nick Foles (CHI) – The Bears made the switch to Nick Foles and why not? They can always switch back to Mitchell Trubisky but the quarterback has been a weak spot in the offense since Trubisky was drafted. The Bears have a tougher schedule for the next three weeks – Colts, Buccaneers and then at the Panthers. If Foles can still look like the better option by Week 7, the schedule lightens up significantly. The Bears offense should become more productive in the second half of the season.
  6. RB Damien Harris (NE) – I know, you’re happy to get James White back this week. Maybe you got lucky last week with Rex Burkhead. Or maybe you wince every time you start Sony Michel because the waiver wire is just a barren echo-chamber in your league. Well – welcome back Damien Harris!Recall that he was the running back with the hype in training camp before he broke his hand and went on injured reserve. He just came off of IR and is back to practice. The Pats are also using UDFA J.J. Taylor who ran 11 times for 43 yards last week. Take time to look at the Pats’ boxscore to see what happened for Week 4 with the backfield. It may send you running in the other direction, but you may see Harris join the gang.

 

Jets make 6 roster moves before Thursday’s game vs. Broncos

The Jets made a handful of roster moves ahead of Thursday’s game against the Broncos.

The Jets made a handful of roster moves ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Denver Broncos.

New York announced it has activated wide receiver Jeff Smith off of injured reserve, signed defensive back Javelin Guidry from the practice squad and promoted wide receiver Lawrence Cager and defensive back Lamar Jackson to the active roster. The Jets also released quarterback Mike White and cornerback Nate Hairston.

Smith was getting first-team reps in training camp before going down with a shoulder injury. With Smith and Jamison Crowder back, Sam Darnold will have some better options to throw to on Thursday.

As for Guidry, the Jets really liked how he performed in training camp and signed him to their practice squad. He had the second-fastest 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine behind WR Henry Ruggs.

Cager played against the Colts last week and had two catches for 35 yards in his NFL debut. Thursday will be Jackson’s NFL debut if he gets in on the action. With Hairston being released and two cornerbacks being added to the roster, it looks like the Jets will make some changes to their struggling secondary.

The release of White means Joe Flacco will be Darnold’s backup on Thursday. Flacco missed the first three games, as he was coming back from offseason neck surgery.

Jets injury report: Jamison Crowder confident he’ll return vs. Broncos

Jamison Crowder plans to be back on the field this Thursday.

The Jets got a bit of good news concerning injuries for Thursday night’s matchup vs. Denver.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Adam Gase announced that WR Jeff Smith will come off injured reserve this week as he returns from a mild shoulder strain. WR Vyncint Smith (core muscle surgery) will need to go through another week of practice before he is activated.

Gase was also hopeful that OT Mekhi Becton (shoulder), WR Jamison Crowder (hamstring), S Ashtyn Davis (groin), OT George Fant (concussion), CB Quincy Wilson (concussion), DL John Franklin-Myers (knee), LB Jordan Jenkins (shoulder) and WR Chris Hogan (ribs/knee) will be available to go Thursday night. They were all limited participants in Monday and Tuesday’s walkthroughs.

Crowder is “confident” that he will play Thursday, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini. New York’s starting slot receiver has missed the previous two weeks with a nagging hamstring injury and should be a welcome addition for a struggling Sam Darnold.

Both WR Breshad Perriman and LB Jordan Willis are dealing with ankle injuries and were not participants in either of this week’s walkthroughs.

QB Joe Flacco (neck) does not appear ready to play if needed just yet. Flacco told reporters that he’s relying on the coaches and medical staff to give him the all-clear, but he doesn’t want to rush back from an injury that required offseason surgery. If Flacco can’t go Thursday, Mike White will likely be backing up Sam Darnold for the fourth consecutive game.

Jets place 5 on IR to make room for Josh Andrews, Daniel Brown, Matthias Farley and Nate Hairston

The Jets placed five players on injured reserve to make room for Josh Andrews, Daniel Brown, Nate Hairston and Matthias Farley.

One day after releasing them in order to get their roster down to 53 players, the Jets signed offensive lineman Josh Andrews, tight end Daniel Brown, safety Matthias Farley, cornerback Nate Hairston and back to the team’s active roster on Monday.

In order to make room for Andrews, Brown, Farley and Hairston, New York placed offensive lineman Cameron Clark (shoulder/knee), linebacker Patrick Onwuasor (knee), wide receivers Jeff Smith (shoulder) and Vyncint Smith (core muscle surgery), and defensive lineman/outside linebacker Jabari Zuniga (quad) on injured reserve.

With the new injured reserve rules in place, players are allowed to return to practice after three weeks of being on the shelf, which would make them eligible for a Week 4 return. Getting back some reinforcements at wide receiver in Week 4 could be a crucial boost for the Jets as they have a short week with a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Broncos.

Both Smith’s showed flashes of promise throughout training camp, but also fell victim to the barrage of injuries that decimated the wide receiver room. Between injuries to both Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims and both Braxton Berrios and Jamison Crowder banged up, New York may have to rely on both undrafted free agent wideouts to play some significant snaps early in the year.

Onwuasor sustained a non-contact knee injury in training camp, but doesn’t have any ligament damage. He’s out 4-5 weeks and for the time being, leaves the Jets thin at inside linebacker with only three players — Avery Williamson, Blake Cahsman and Neville Hewittt — that remain healthy. Zuniga, New York’s third-round pick out of Florida missed the majority of training camp dealing with a quad injury. Clark, a fourth-round pick out of Charlotte, has been banged up with a shoulder and knee injury.

The new rules allow Gang Green to demonstrate some roster flexibility before the start of the season. By placing five players on injured reserve and adding just four, New York has one remaining roster spot to add another depth piece prior to Sunday’s game against the Bills.

Kalen Ballage fails Jets physical, heads back to Miami

Kalen Ballage failed his physical with the Jets because of a hamstring issue and is now heading back to the Dolphins.

Even the players that Jets trade for are injured.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, newly acquired running back Kalen Ballage failed his physical with the Jets because of a hamstring injury. Ballage will now head back to Miami and New York will get its conditional 2021 seventh-round pick back.

The Jets are down to two healthy running backs (Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore) with Ballage going back to Miami and rookie La’Mical Perine now hurt. Perine injured his ankle in practice on Sunday and had to be carted off. He’ll have an MRI.

Safety Marcus Maye is dealing with a calf issue that forced him to leave practice early. Maye wanted to keep practicing, but Adam Gase held him out as a precaution.

Wide receiver Jeff Smith is out a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury.

Jets Injury Report: Jeff Smith hurts shoulder, Greg Van Roten limited on Saturday

Jets Injury report from practice on Aug. 29.

The Jets got even thinner at wide receiver on Saturday, as Jeff Smith left practice with a shoulder injury.

Smith injured his shoulder diving for a pass in 7-on-7 drills and promptly left the field with a trainer. He is set to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury. If Smith is forced out of action for an extended period of time, he will be the latest Jets wideout forced to the sideline. Both Breshad Perriman (knee) and Denzel Mims (hamstring) missed practice and it remains to be seen when they will return.

Prior to his injury, Smith had been taking reps with New York’s first-team offense and was having a solid training camp. Undrafted free agent George Campbell stepped into his spot on Saturday and impressed with a touchdown reception from David Fales and a contested first down catch going up against Quincy Wilson.

Pierre Desir (hamstring), Tarell Basham (ankle) and Jabari Zuniga (quad) also missed practice. Rookie Bryce Hall, who was recently activated from the COVID-19 reserve list, did not practice and was placed on the active/non-football injury list as he works his way back from a gruesome ankle injury suffered in his senior year at Virginia.

Greg Van Roten practiced, but was limited due to an oblique injury suffered in practice on Wednesday. Brian Poole was also limited as he returns from dehydration, working exclusively on special teams. James Burgess returned after missing time because of a back injury.

Jets wide receivers ranked among worst in NFL by Pro Football Focus

Pro Football Focus has the Jets wide receivers ranked 31st in the NFL.

The Jets’ wide receivers have been nothing to write home about for years now. Ask Pro Football Focus, and that trend will continue in 2020.

New York made an effort to improve its wide receivers this offseason, but it didn’t bring in anyone that will scare an opposing defense. The Jets signed Breshad Perriman and Josh Doctson and drafted Denzel Mims out of Baylor. They return Jamison Crowder, Josh Malone, Braxton Berrios, Vyncint Smith and Jeff Smith. Their former No. 1 wide receiver, Robby Anderson, signed with the Panthers.

Pro Football Focus analyzed the Jets’ receivers and ranked them 31st in the league out of 32 teams. Despite the low rank, Pro Football Focus sees some potential if Perriman improves upon his strong finish in Tampa Bay last season and Mims meets his expectations.

“There are plenty of question marks on paper, but the potential is there with this receiving corps if Perriman continues to progress and Mims’ size/speed profile translates quickly,” Pro Football Focus’s Steve Palazzolo said of Gang Green’s wideouts.

If these wide receivers are going to succeed in 2020, it’s going to be based on two things: offensive line and quarterback play. The Jets’ new offensive line has to give Sam Darnold a chance to make the necessary throws. Last season’s unit didn’t do that, allowing Jets quarterbacks to be sacked 52 times.

Darnold, meanwhile, needs to make significant strides in 2020, regardless of those around him. The fact that the Jets have upgraded his supporting cast should certainly help, though.

The receivers have to do their part too, though. This isn’t the most recognizable group, but, as PFF noted, there is some potential. If nothing else, a handful of unknowns will get plenty of opportunities to make an impact in 2020.

Jets place Chuma Edoga, Jeff Smith on injured reserve

The Jets have placed Chuma Edoga and Jeff Smith on injured reserve.

Already with the most players on injured reserve this season, the Jets added two more to the list Tuesday.

The team announced that both offensive tackle Chuma Edoga (knee) and wide receiver Jeff Smith (ankle) have been placed on injured reserve. The Jets also signed wide receiver Keon Hatcher to the practice squad and released center Ryan Crozier.

Edoga was the Jets’ third-round pick this season and had his struggles. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Edoga allowed seven sacks, which was second-most on the team, and had the lowest pass-block win rate among Jets offensive linemen. He made eight starts in his rookie season out of USC.

As for Smith, he was on the practice squad all season before being promoted to the active roster for the Ravens game. In that game, he had one catch for 12 yards. The Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College.

Hatcher was signed to the Lions practice squad in 2017 after being an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas. He played in three games with the Raiders last season and had one catch for eight yards. This season Hatcher spent time on the Packers practice squad before being released at the end of October.

Jets WR Jeff Smith done for the season

After just one appearance for the green and white, in a 42-21 loss to the Ravens, Smith’s season has come to and as well.

Jeff Smith was promoted to the Jets’ active roster last Monday, as the team was forced to send cornerback Kyron Brown to injured reserve. After just one appearance for the green and white, in a 42-21 loss to the Ravens, Smith’s season has come to and as well.

The undrafted rookie wide receiver suffered a high-ankle sprain in Thursday’s loss. The injury will sideline Smith for the rest of this season, ending his short tenure with Gang Green.

Smith finished his day with one catch for 12 yards on two targets.

New York has already had to send 16 players to its injured reserve list, so this addition may be routine by now. Still, the Jets are desperate for playmakers and stability on their 53-man roster.

Now, it will be someone else’s opportunity to step in and attempt to fill the void. At wide receiver, at least, the hope is that veteran Demaryius Thomas will be healthy in time for New York’s Week 16 matchup with Pittsburgh.

The Jets are currently 5-9 and seated third in the AFC East. With all the injuries this team has suffered, they’ll have to get creative in order to finish the season strong these final two weeks.

Jets add WR Jeff Smith after sending CB Kyron Brown to IR

The Jets can’t escape the injury bug, yet again, as they send another player to the injured reserve list.

The Jets can’t escape the injury bug, as they sent another player to the injured reserve list on Monday.

Forced to start Kyron Brown at cornerback this past weekend, the Akron product left Sunday’s game with a quad injury. That makes 16 Jets to land on IR this season.

As a result, New York filled the void on their roster by signing wide receiver Jeff Smith. Another undrafted free agent, Smith got his start by signing on to the Jets’ practice squad in September.

The wideout started his career at Boston College as a quarterback. Following his freshman campaign, he made the position change, leading to 72 catches for 1,078 yards and nine touchdowns over the next three years.

Smith possesses a versatile skill set that came to life as a Golden Eagle. Boston College utilized him in the ground game, as well. Smith recorded 902 yards and another nine scores as a rusher.

With a new whole on their practice squad after promoting Smith, the Jets added offensive lineman Brad Lundblade. The 24-year-old spent some time with the Carolina Panthers practice squad before being released earlier this week.