There was a little bit of hope the Jets would see the return of wide receiver Quincy Enunwa in 2020 after he suffered a second season-ending neck injury last season. Instead, the Jets placed Enunwa, along with Josh Bellamy, on the season-ending physically unable to perform list last week.
Without Enunwa, Bellamy and Robby Anderson, who left in free agency, the Jets have a very shallow receiving corps behind Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman. This gives the younger receivers a great opportunity to play early in their careers and stake a claim to more snaps.
Second-round rookie Denzel Mims will benefit the most without Enunwa in the lineup. He’s all but assured the second outside receiver position opposite Perriman and should be in line for a lot more targets immediately. A lot will be expected of Mims sooner in his career, now, but he has the skills to be an immediate contributor for the Jets as a speedy receiver with a phenomenal catch radius. He isn’t a straight replacement for Enunwa’s production, though, considering their difference in play style. That’s where the rest of the young receiving corps can carve out a role on the offense.
There’s a deluge of inexperienced veterans and undrafted free agents competing behind the trio of Crowder, Perriman and Mims. The Jets have eight other receivers on the roster heading into the rest of the offseason, but only two or three should make the 2020 team.
Josh Doctson leads the way in both experience and production – he has 81 receptions for 1,100 yards in his four-year career – but is also on his third team in five years. He’s a little bit slimmer than Enunwa but has the best shot at earning on a role on the Jets because of his skillset.
The rest of the receivers don’t offer much promise of potential. Vyncint Smith and Braxton Berrios, two holdovers from the 2019 team, played alright when the Jets were decimated by injuries and have special teams appeal as return specialists. They have the inside track to seeing more snaps without Enunwa around. Jeff Smith also played for the Jets in 2019, but he, alongside, Jehu Chesson and Josh Malone, have combined for 11 receptions and 122 yards. The Jets pretty much know what they have in those three, who look like camp bodies and practice squad players.
The intrigue comes in the undrafted free agent receiver class of Lawrence Cager and George Campbell. Both are big and fast wideouts but have an extensive injury history. If they can impress Adam Gase and the rest of the staff earlier on, they could potentially jump up a few spots on the depth chart and earn their way into a role on the team.
Without Enunwa or Bellamy in the mix, there is a prime opportunity for a receiver not named Crowder or Perriman to breakout. The best money is on Mims, but he’s already a lock for the team and a sizable role early on. The Jets need a playmaker to rise out of the receiver room, and now is the perfect opportunity for a player who wouldn’t normally have such a chance.
