Quincy Enunwa was the last man standing from the Rex Ryan era, but his release put a close on that chapter of Jets football.
The Jets moved on from Enunwa on Monday after six seasons with the organization. The wide receiver was already going to miss the 2020 season due to a lingering neck injury.
Enunwa was drafted by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of the University of Nebraska. He emerged in 2015 when he had 315 receiving yards in 12 games. Enunwa broke out in 2016 when he recorded 857 receiving yards and four touchdowns. However, his NFL career was derailed by neck injuries, first in 2017, then in 2019 and now again in 2020. There’s a chance he never plays football again.
Enunwa’s release also means that the Jets no longer employ any players who played for Rex Ryan. Prior to Sunday, Brian Winters was only other player remaining from Ryan’s teams, but he was let go on and has since signed with the Bills. Ryan coached the Jets from 2009-2014 before he was fired.
Enunwa’s release also means that all of John Idzik’s draft picks are no longer with the team. The Jets now have zero picks on the team from before the 2016 NFL Draft. They have one player from the 2016 draft, Jordan Jenkins, and one player from the 2017 draft, Marcus Maye, still with the team. New York still has four of its players from the 2018 draft and five from the 2019 draft.
All these draft picks that are no longer with the team shows how poorly the Jets have drafted this decade. It also shows hows Joe Douglas has overturned New York’s roster in his first year as Jets general manager.
If he hopes to turn the tide this decade, he will have to be a much better drafter than his predecessors.