The New York Jets found their WR2. Kind of.
In another move that will put more pressure on the Jets running game than it will to elevate the Jets passing attack, the New York Jets signed journeyman wide receiver Josh Reynolds to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million.
The 30-year-old Reynolds was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round of the 2017 draft out of Texas A&M. He spent four seasons in L.A., almost three seasons with the Detroit Lions, and partial season stops with Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars.
He has a career of 233 receptions for 3,127 yards and 20 touchdowns. He has familiarity with a both Jets’ GM Darren Mougey who he saw in Denver as well as head coach Aaron Glenn and new OC Tanner Engstrand who he played for with the Detroit Lions.
This is another move in an off season full of head scratchers. Reynolds clearly isn’t the answer to the Jets number two wide receiver question and he will likely only take snaps away from young players like Xavier Gipson and Malachi Corley, both of whom have a much higher upside than Reynolds.
Darren Mougey is approaching this entire offseason like he is afraid to make a bad decision. Every deal is a short-term band-aid that won’t stop the bleeding. His approach seems to be to buy up the players that no other team has interest in and rely on an unproven coaching staff to make chicken salad out of you-know-what.
The more moves the Jets make, the more I question what the identity of this team is. If his goal is to hold the young guys to the flame and see how they do, why bring in a Josh Reynolds? If his goal is to win, why rely on Brandon Stephens and Justin Fields? If his goal is to build success, why not extend Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson? If his goal is to make the fans happy, then he is failing miserably.
As of right now, it appears the Jets offensive game plan will be to rely on a QB who is 14-30 in his career as a starter with a growingly suspect defense and team full of castaways and never-has-beens to throw the ball to. All being coached by a man who has never called plays in his career taking direction from someone who has never been a head coach in the league. I would say this is not the season Jets fans have been waiting for 14 years for.
