The Jets have made improving their offense a priority this offseason. General manager Joe Douglas has set the tone of wanting hard-working professional players.
The biggest proof of that is the signing of running back Frank Gore to help mentor this young club. They also added Greg Van Roten and Breshad Perriman through free agency to bolster their depth on offense.
The Draft brought more of the same, as they added Mekhi Becton and Denzel Mims to provide exactly what Van Roten and Perriman provide: depth along with talent.
However, it wasn’t all additions for the Jets, as they lost undrafted speedster, Robby Anderson, by way of the Carolina Panthers––taking his 52 receptions (96 targets), 779 yards, and five touchdowns with him. On those 52 receptions, 35 of them resulted in first downs for the Jets offense, which now leaves a significant hole.
Where do they go from here?
Perhaps they’d be wise to turn to another undrafted story in Taylor Gabriel––who has played for the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, and most recently the Chicago Bears. Gabriel, much like Anderson, is a speedy receiver that slowly adhered momentum to establish himself.
Gabriel can bring some speed and versatility, being able to receive from the slot, and go deep. His small 5-foot-7 frame allows him to sneak around but also can make for a harder time boxing out. He would be able to slot into the Jets as a complementary piece to the aforementioned Perriman and Mims, as well as Jamison Crowder.
In his career, Gabriel has played in 83 of 96 possible games and has averaged 12.5 yards per catch, has scored 14 touchdowns totaling 2,860 yards, on 228 receptions. Keep in mind, of his 83 games, only 31 were starts and he missed a large chunk of 2019 due to injury.
Gabriel would bring more quality depth at a position of need and would push all other receivers to play better due to competition. They would be able to expand everyone’s roles to what they are comfortable with as well, therefore making each other better.
I would expect that if the Jets acquired any other receiver, undrafted free agents Lawerence Cager and George Campell will have a much harder time making the team, which could motivate them even more––potentially creating competition in camp.
There is no question the Jets have to make another move at wideout, what with Quincy Enunwa and Josh Bellamy having both been ruled out for the season and placed on the PUP list.
