If you’re a wide receiver, give the New York Jets a call. They’re hiring.
An already depleted Jets wide receiver group took another hit on Thursday. That’s when No. 2 wideout Adonai Mitchell caught his finger in an unnamed defender’s jersey. He was seen Friday wearing a wrap on his right hand, with his index and middle fingers taped together. That’s not conducive to performing the type of difficult catches most wideouts have to deal with during a game.
Mitchell may play against Detroit this Sunday, but it’s clear he’ll be hampered by the injury. With receivers Tim Patrick, Omar Cooper Jr. and Arian Smith already on injured reserve, the Jets will likely elevate Tyler Johnson or Sterling Shepard from the practice squad to be depth pieces, with returner Isaiah Williams taking over as the No. 2 target behind star wideout Garrett Wilson.
Williams had seven targets in the first two games, including six against Green Bay, but also muffed two punts and had three penalties in the Packers game, which the Jets lost in overtime, 20-17. Williams also had two muffed punts (both recovered) and was flagged for offensive holding, a false start, and an invalid fair catch signal. Overall, he has seven catches for 41 yards on the season as a receiver, averaging a paltry 5.9 yards. That won’t exactly open up the field.
Adding to the injury parade, starting tight end Mason Taylor has a thumb injury that will see him miss the Detroit Lions game and possibly more.
That leaves quarterback Geno Smith with a patchwork offense in the passing game. The Jets will consider moving speedy tight end Kenyon Sadiq wide on a few plays and certainly will want to get the running game going to open up the field. He has five catches for 38 yards and a rushing touchdown in two games, but has had only six targets.
There’s no doubt that the Jets will hope Mitchell can overcome his injury and at least provide a decent decoy. He’s officially listed as questionable for the game.
What this all means is that offensive coordinator Frank Reich will have to work extra hard to get some space for remaining talents like Wilson and running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.
The Jets are facing a high-powered offense in Detroit, a team that has scored 31 points in each of its first two games and has quarterback Jared Goff, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs to pinball around the field. That means Gang Green will have to score early and often if they want to stay close. The Lions are 6.5 home favorites in this match.
