Tag: Quincy Enunwa

Quincy Enunwa blasts NFL’s drug testing policy, lack of mental health concern

Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa called out the NFL’s drug testing policy and its lack of concern for mental health on Wednesday.

Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa is not pleased with the NFL’s priorities.

With the beginning of training camp less than a month away, the NFL is going through the process of preparing for the 2020 season. Among the many things on the league’s to-do list is player drug testing in the fall. On Wednesday, Enunwa received a reminder from the NFLPA about the testing and took to Twitter to question why the NFL emphasizes drug testing its players instead of ensuring their mental health amid a pandemic and rampant social and racial injustices taking place throughout America.

“Just got the NFLPA reminder about drug testing this Fall,” Enunwa said. “Boy, the NFL sure did hold on tight to testing for weed but spent very little time making sure players were taking care of their mental health during this time.”

Enunwa has never been one to shy away from speaking up when it comes to promoting mental health awareness. He recently held a live Q&A session about mental health on the official NFL Players Association Twitter account and told ESPN’s Rich Cimini in May that he wants to become a sports-performance therapist once his playing days come to an end.

“Helping guys with their mental health,” Enunwa said. “That’s my goal.”

Enunwa, who is sidelined for the 2020 season due to a neck injury, is using his time away from football to bring awareness to the cause. With help from his wife, Enunwa is donating to multiple organizations that “aim to provide culturally affirming therapy to people of color,” according to his Instagram.

“My wife created and is selling #BlackFeelingsMatter masks,” Enunwa wrote. “When people are continually looking for ways to give back, she’s found an amazing one. 100% of proceeds will be donated to @therapyforblackgirls and National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, which aim to provide culturally affirming therapy to people of color.”

Enunwa’s career might be in jeopardy, but that has not stopped him from using his platform to bring awareness to something that impacts players around the NFL and millions of people around the world. His tweet calling out the league for its lack of action surrounding mental health awareness while it remains vigilant in its enforcement of drug testing is the latest example of the 28-year-old standing up for what he believes in.

Jets WR Quincy Enunwa promoting mental health awareness with help from his wife

Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa is using his platform and a little help from his wife to promote mental health awareness.

Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa is getting a head start on his post-NFL desire to help people with mental health issues.

Enunwa has long been a proponent of mental health awareness. He recently held a live Q&A session about mental health on the official NFL Players Association Twitter account and told ESPN’s Rich Cimini in May that he wants to become a sports-performance therapist once his playing days come to an end.

“Helping guys with their mental health,” Enunwa said. “That’s my goal.”

With a neck injury sidelining him for the entire 2020 season and putting his career in serious jeopardy, Enunwa is making the most of his time away from football. With a little help from his wife, the 28-year-old is doing his part to give back and help those dealing with mental health issues, taking to Instagram to bring awareness to the cause.

“I was once somebody who didn’t think I could be affected by mental illness,” Enunwa said on Thursday. “I always believed my will would push me through any issue. If I was really a ‘Man,’ I could deal with my own problems. I managed to live that way for a while, and then I injured my neck again. Suddenly, just being a man wasn’t enough. I needed something to help me figure out what I was going through.

“Long story short, I found therapy and in it a space to process not only what I was going through, but also my relationships, friendships, and being black in America. Some people may think, “But Q, you just signed a 4-year extension, I would have just wiped my tears with those dollar bills,” and to that, I say you right, but mental illness doesn’t discriminate.”

Enunwa continued his promotion of mental health awareness through face masks his wife has created amid the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that all proceeds from purchases will be donated to multiple organizations that “aim to provide culturally affirming therapy to people of color.”

“My wife created and is selling #BlackFeelingsMatter masks,” Enunwa said. When people are continually looking for ways to give back, she’s found an amazing one. 100% of proceeds will be donated to @therapyforblackgirls and National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, which aim to provide culturally affirming therapy to people of color.

“As I continue to evolve and use my platform for change, I refuse to allow my community to continue to struggle in the dark. Asking for help isn’t weak and you’re not alone in your struggle. Like @beastmode said, “Take care of your mental.”

Report: Jets replace head athletic trainer

On Tuesday, the Jets replaced longtime head athletic trainer John Mellody, who had been with the team since 1996.

The Jets have replaced John Mellody as the team’s head athletic trainer, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

In the meantime, the Jets have promoted Mellody’s longtime assistant Dave Zuffelato to the head trainer position, per Cimini. Mellody, a fixture in the Jets organization under eight different head coaches, will stay on as a consultant. Mellody originally joined the Jets organization in 1996 as an assistant. After a decade with the team, he was promoted as the head athletic trainer in 2006.

According to Bleacher Report’s Connor Rogers, there had been some tension building up between Mellody and Adam Gase. In 2019, the Jets led the NFL with a whopping 21 players placed on injured reserve. Quincy Enunwa suffered his second neck injury in three seasons and C.J. Mosley was rushed back from a groin injury, which cost him 14 games. The organization also had two injury grievances filed against it by Kelechi Osemele and Luke Falk.

New York will now turn to Zuffelato, who has been with the team since 2006, to help change its misfortunes with injuries.

Quincy Enunwa hopes to be a sports-performance therapist after his NFL career

Quincy Enunwa wants to help athletes with their mental health following his NFL career.

Quincy Enunwa still wants to remain in sports after his football career ends.

The Jets wide receiver has already been ruled out for the 2020 season due to a lingering neck injury. While Enunwa is going to continue rehabbing his injury with the hope he can still play football again, he is also going to use his extra time to explore his life after football. His goal is to become a sports-performance therapist.

“Helping guys with their mental health, that’s my goal,” Enunwa rcently told ESPN’s Rich Cimini.

The topic of mental health has been one that Enunwa has discussed frequently of late. He posted on Twitter last month about May being Mental Health Awareness Month. Enunwa shared that he’s taking care of his own mental health through workouts, therapy and gaming.

Enunwa also participated in a Mental Awareness Q&A with the NFLPA last month. He was asked about what he hears when people don’t understand depression and what methods he uses when mental health issues are present.

Not many athletes know what they’re going to do following their playing careers, but Enunwa seems like he has his next chapter figured out. The odds of him playing again seem unlikely, but he hasn’t closed that door yet, either.

Enunwa showed plenty of promise following the 2016 season when he had 857 receiving yards for the Jets. However, he missed all of the 2017 season with his first neck injury before coming back for 11 games in 2018. In 2019, Enunwa hurt his neck for the second time and only played in one game. Now he’s going to miss the second full season of his career.

Jets WR Quincy Enunwa not ready to throw in towel on career

Although the Jets placed Quincy Enunwa on the PUP list with his second neck injury in three seasons, he isn’t ready to retire just yet.

Quincy Enunwa isn’t ready to throw in the towel on his NFL career just yet.

With his 2020 season over before it started thanks to his injury-plagued neck, Enunwa’s future in the NFL is on life support. Whether he plays again or not is up to doctors at this point.

The Jets ended Enunwa’s 2019 season when they placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list back on May 5. In December 2018, Enunwa signed a four-year, $36 million contract extension through the 2022 season, but he played just one game on his new deal before suffering a season-ending neck injury in the season opener.

His career in limbo, but Enunwa isn’t ready to give up on football just yet.

“If I’m capable of playing, then that’s what I’ll do,” Enunwa told ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “If it comes down to the fact that the doctors say I can’t, there’s not much I can do. There’s really nothing I can do there, but if I have the ability to [play], the passion will always be there, the want-to will always be there.”

While Enunwa attempts to make an improbable recovery, he believes his physical ability is still there. That’s with the revelation that Enunwa was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, the same debilitating back condition that ultimately ended the career of New York Mets third baseman David Wright. Still, Enunwa showed flashes of brilliance before and after his first neck injury, molding himself as a hybrid wide receiver who was a matchup nightmare for opposing defensive backs. The cards have been stacked against Enunwa since his first neck injury, which he suffered in 2017.

“There’s really no one to blame,” Enunwa said. “It’s one of those things. If I could’ve had a crystal ball and told myself … this was going to happen, I probably would’ve done it the same way. There’s nothing really I regret or I’m upset with anybody about.

“I think everybody tried to handle it the best way that we could. There’s no way to have prevented this other than not play football, and I don’t know if I would’ve been as happy if I made that choice.”

Right now, it doesn’t pay for Enunwa to retire. Despite being placed on the PUP list, he will earn $6 million fully guaranteed for the 2020 season, per Cimini. As part of his contract, Enunwa has an injury guarantee of $4.1 million in 2021.

Quincy Enunwa’s injury creates opportunity for Jets’ young wide receivers

The Jets don’t have much experience behind Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman, so a young receiver will need to step up.

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.

The Idzik 12: With Quincy Enunwa hurt, only 1 of Jets’ 2014 picks remains active

Here’s an updated look at the infamous ‘Idzik 12,’ now that Quincy Enunwa’s Jets career is in jeopardy.

John Idzik’s infamous 2014 draft class is no longer represented on the Jets roster.

New York had 12 picks in the 2014 NFL Draft, the most of any team. The draft was a disaster though, as Idzik and the Jets wound up with one of the worst classes in franchise history. It’s a big reason why the Jets have the least amount of homegrown players in the NFL.

The one diamond in the rough? A sixth-round pick out of the University of Nebraska by the name of Quincy Enunwa. However, Enunwa is set to miss yet another season with yet another neck injury, which means there won’t be a single member of the Idzik 12 on New York’s active roster in 2020. Even worse, only one member of that draft class remains on any team’s active roster.

With Enunwa on the PUP list, we thought it was time to revisit Idzik’s horrid dozen picks.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7

Jamison Crowder will be Jets’ longest-tenured active WR in 2020

Jamison Crowder will be the Jets’ longest-tenured active wide receiver on the roster in 2020.

Jamison Crowder’s second season with the Jets hasn’t even begun and he’s already the team’s longest-tenured active receiver.

Crowder will have the most experience of any active wide receiver on the roster in 2020 now that Quincy Enunwa’s neck will force him to miss yet another season. Remember, it was just last offseason that Crowder signed with New York.

The slot receiver had a great first season with the Jets in 2019, recording 78 catches for 833 yards and six touchdowns. It was the second-best season of Crowder’s five-year career after four years in Washington.

Enunwa is technically the wide receiver who has been in New York longest, but he’s out for the season again and his career is in jeopardy. Prior to his departure for the Carolina Panthers, Robby Anderson would have taken this mantle.

Crowder’s status as the team’s longest-tenured active receiver speaks to some of New York’s instability at the position in recent years. The Jets have failed to draft talented wide receivers, with former general manager Mike Maccagnan whiffing on picks like Ardarius Stewart, Chad Hansen, Charone Peake and Devin Smith.

The hope is that current general manager Joe Douglas can change that narrative, starting with Denzel Mims. Mims was the highest-picked Jets wide receiver (59th overall) since they took Smith with the 37th overall pick in 2015.

The time is now to start building some stability at wide receiver. Sam Darnold needs someone who he can rely on year in and year out. The Jets can’t continue to rotate new wide receivers in every single year. Darnold has got to have a player he can build chemistry with.

He and Crowder showed plenty of that in 2019, but with a new year approaching, Darnold has plenty of new faces to get acquainted with again.

Updated look at Jets’ wide receiver depth chart following Quincy Enunwa, Josh Bellamy injuries

Here is an updated look at Jets’ wide receiver depth chart following season-ending injuries to Quincy Enunwa and Josh Bellamy.

The Jets’ wide receiver room is starting to take more shape after the team announced that both Quincy Enunwa and Josh Bellamy are out for the 2020 season with significant injuries.

This was the expected move for Enunwa, who essentially missed two of the past three seasons dealing with neck injuries. He was only able to play one game last year after signing a four-year extension; this could be the end of the road for him. On the other hand, Bellamy appeared to be a likely cap casualty — saving the Jets $2.3 million without absorbing dead cap — after a shoulder injury ended his 2019. Bellamy only recorded two receptions in seven games last season but was a core member of the Jets’ special teams units when active.

Here is the Jets’ current wide receiver depth chart:

Starters: Breshad Perriman, Denzel Mims, Jamison Crowder

Backups: Vyncint Smith, Braxton Berrios, Jehu Chesson, Josh Doctson, Josh Malone, Jeff Smith, Lawrence Cager, George Campbell

The two blows to the Jets’ receiving corps are mitigated by New York’s decisions to sign Perriman after losing Robby Anderson and to draft Mims with a premium choice. With Crowder returning as the Jets’ primary slot receiver, he is the most-tenured wide receiver on the team’s depth chart.

Mims and Perriman are likely to make an instant impact for Sam Darnold and the Jets, using a combination of speed and playmaking ability to move the chains. While the Jets haven’t done all they can to ensure Darnold will have skill players capable of elevating his play, they have added a few who can certainly contribute. The problem that lies at the position is the Jets’ lack of depth; currently the third-best outside wide receiver is a toss-up between Smith and Doctson. Neither has the credentials to be relied upon come the start of the regular season. Beyond them is a ton of inexperience.

With the NFL season still on-track, the Jets will have the opportunity to add more depth between trades, free-agent signings and bringing in any players who may shake loose during training camp. New York may reek of desperation, but it still has an opportunity to add free agents such as Taylor Gabriel, Johnny Holton or Demaryius Thomas while monitoring what happens with the Alshon Jeffrey situation in Philadelphia.

Jets WRs Quincy Enunwa, Josh Bellamy to miss 2020 season

Both Quincy Enunwa and Josh Bellamy are out for the year after being placed on the season-ending physically unable to perform list.

The injury bug that repeatedly bit the Jets in 2019 is still going strong in the new league year.

According to multiple reports, the Jets have placed wide receivers Quincy Enunwa (neck) and Josh Bellamy (shoulder) on the season-ending physically unable to perform list.

For Enunwa, this could be a career-ending neck injury. It’s his third neck issue since 2017. Enunwa was forced to miss that season. He came back healthy in 2018 and played in 11 games. However, in 2019, Enunwa once again suffered another season-ending neck injury in Week 1 against the Bills.

After the 2018 season, the Jets signed Enunwa to a four-year, $36 million extension while Mike Maccagnan was still in charge. Enunwa is fully guaranteed $6 million in 2020. In 2021, Enunwa has $4.1 million in injury guarantees.

Enunwa had a chance to become a real threat for the Jets, especially after his breakout 2016 season. He had 58 receptions for 857 yards and four touchdowns that year. With a knack for racking up yards after the catch, the Jets were hoping Eunwa could impact a limited receiver room in 2020, but concerns over his health lingered throughout the offseason.

As for Bellamy, the special teams ace was placed on injured reserve in November after only playing seven games. He made two catches for the Jets for a total of 20 yards.

Bellamy is owed $2.25 million in 2020.

While both moves were expected, it’s certainly not the way the Jets wanted to start their 2020 season. Now it may be time to find another wide receiver or two.