The additions to New York’s wide receiver room, thanks mostly to the trade deadline, have pros and cons — not only for the Jets, but also for their opponents.
It would have been easy to make a case for running back Breece Hall here, but New York shifting from run-first quarterback Justin Fields to veteran Tyrod Taylor says the Jets want to throw the ball and see what they have.
Top receiving option Garrett Wilson (knee) is on injured reserve, leaving former Colt Adonai Mitchell and former Texan (and Eagle) John Metchie III as the top options for Taylor and the Jets.
Mitchell, who came to New York in the Sauce Gardner trade, was a second-round pick (No. 52) out of Texas.
His most successful season was his rookie campaign, where he appeared in all 17 games (seven starts), averaging 13.6 yards per catch. But, he became the odd-man out behind Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and now, rookie tight end Tyler Warren.
Between Georgia and Texas, Mitchell posted 1,405 career receiving yards and 18 touchdowns.
Additionally, New York acquired Metchie after dealing cornerback Michael Carter II to Philadelphia.
Metchie, who missed his entire rookie season due to a cancer diagnosis, returned to Houston as a depth option in 2023. He amassed 478 receiving yards in two full years with the Texans, averaging more than 10 yards per catch.
Head Coach Aaron Glenn said in media availability earlier this month that Metchie is “our type of guy” and the Jets’ “brand of football that we talk about in-house really fits who he is as a player.”
In a contract year and still only 25 years old, Metchie III is looking to earn a new one from the Jets. He, Mitchell and New York’s receiving gaggle are all playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain for the future on a team all but eliminated from the playoffs.
With a new mindset to pass the ball more with a veteran signal caller, and not much tape to offer, Baltimore cannot fall victim to taking their new-look attack for granted in a season that once saw the Ravens worst in the league in defending the pass.