The Jets are getting a boost in the pass-catching room at the right time.
Aaron Glenn said New York will have both Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. available for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. For Cooper, it will be his first game since the season opener, when he went down on the first drive. Sadiq has been on the field in every game, though he exited the Cleveland Browns game after taking a big hit that forced a fumble.
Getting both players back gives the Jets some options, but the bigger question is how they’re used.
Sadiq has already shown he can swing a game when the Jets put him in the right spots. Against the Detroit Lions in Week 3, he caught seven passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
In his other four games, though, his receiving totals have been 21, 17, zero and three yards. That’s the definition of boom-or-bust, and Frank Reich has a chance to smooth that out.
The answer starts with pushing Sadiq down the field. His average depth of target tells the story.
Against Detroit, it was 10 yards. In the other four games, it checked in at -0.3, -.5, 4.7 and 1.3.
He’s not just a screen option, even if that’s how he’s been deployed too often so far.
Sadiq brings more than that. His 4.39 40-yard dash gives him the speed to run away from linebackers, and his 99th percentile vertical jump makes him a real problem on contested balls. He’s the kind of mismatch that can stress a defense if the Jets choose to feature him that way.
Cooper offers a different kind of weapon. On his lone catch of the season, he turned it into 26 yards after the catch, and that’s where he makes his living.
At Indiana, 494 of his 937 yards came after the catch. His 7.2 YAC per reception ranked 44th in the nation among 432 qualified receivers, according to Pro Football Focus, and he also finished 26th in college football with 44 first-down conversions.
That profile makes him a natural fit for quick-hitting designs and catch-and-run chances. He may not be asked to handle a huge target load right away, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Jets manufacture a few opportunities for him.
If New York is going to have any shot at pulling off an upset against a red-hot Patriots offense, the Jets’ offense has to show up in a big way. The raw talent is there. Now it’s on the play-caller to unlock it.
In Other News...
Jon Gruden Just Validated What Jets Fans Hoped About This Defense
Jon Grudens breakdown of the Jets Week 5 defense against Cleveland offered a little outside validation for what the team has been trying to build. He pointed to the way New York mixed and matched its pass-rush looks, leaning into pressure and coverage wrinkles that gave the Browns trouble, and the tape backed up the sense that this group can be more than just physical up front. David Bailey was the headliner, finishing with three sacks and earning Defensive Player of the Week, a solid sign that the Jets may have found a real disruptive edge on that side of the ball.
The challenge now is whether they can keep that same rhythm intact with the next opponent looming. Injuries are already testing the depth of the pass rush, and the Patriots are the kind of divisional matchup that can expose any weakness if the front seven isnt at full strength. For a Jets defense that finally drew a national nod for its creativity and impact, the bigger question is whether the pressure package can keep humming once the rotation gets thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Jets May Have Found Garrett Wilson The Help He Needed
The Jets have spent this season looking more competitive under Aaron Glenn, with Geno Smith taking care of the ball and Garrett Wilson carrying much of the offensive load. For a team that has needed more help around its top target, the emergence of Isaiah Williams has been one of the quieter developments worth watching.
Williams, an undrafted free agent, has started to carve out a real place in the offense with 11 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. He is not officially the No. 2 option yet, but his usage has been trending in the right direction, and if that keeps up, the Jets may have found another receiver who can take some pressure off Wilson and give the passing game a little more balance. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Just Got One More Problem For This Patriots Matchup
The Patriots are about to get a little more dangerous at exactly the wrong time for the Jets. A.J. Brown is expected to be back in the lineup for Week 6 after opening the year on injured reserve, giving New England another weapon as it heads into a matchup that already carried plenty of weight for both sides.
Browns return comes after the Patriots managed to sharpen their offense in recent games without him, which only raises the intrigue around how theyll look with another key piece available. For a Jets defense trying to sort through a divisional test, the prospect of facing a healthier New England attack adds one more layer to a game that already had no shortage of pressure attached. [Read more 🡒]