Jets' ‘YAC King’ Receiver Dealt Brutal Reality Check

Jets’ ‘YAC King’ Receiver Dealt Brutal Reality Check originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Not often do we hear much roster talk about a second-year player, as most of the time, they are still getting accustomed to the rigors of NFL football. However, New York Jets receiver Malachi Corley is in a tough spot.

Having barely made it onto the field in his rookie season, and when he did, he infamously dropped the football seconds before crossing the plane for what would have been his first NFL touchdown.

So, the “YAC King” needed a big offseason, especially with the new regime in New York, and he’s barely seen the field due to injury. That isn’t ideal when you have new coaches and a new coordinator.

As such, CBS Sports has Malachi well and truly on the roster bubble in just his second season.

“There was a solid amount of hype when the Jets drafted Corley with the 65th overall pick at the 2024 NFL Draft out of Western Kentucky,” CBS Sports writer Tyler Sullivan writes. “Fast-forward a year, however, and the wide receiver is firmly on the roster bubble. Even without mentioning the overall disappointing rookie season, the new regime change with New York has Corley’s place on the opening 53-man roster in doubt.

“He sat out of mandatory minicamp due to injury, which doesn’t help his chances of making the team either, as he’s missing critical time building a rapport with Justin Fields and learning the offense.”

New York Jets wide receiver Malachi CorleyVincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It is not often that a franchise cuts a player on a rookie deal, as there is still time for them to develop into something, and the contract is relatively inexpensive.

However, Corley being under a little pressure already isn’t a good sign.

Now, he could very well turn up for training camp healthy and blow the coaching staff away, but that might be hard to accomplish without having meaningful reps with Fields at OTAs and minicamp.

Corley came to the organization with hype and excitement about what he could do for the offense – now there’s serious doubt whether he’ll even make the final roster.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.

Jets’ ‘YAC King’ Receiver Dealt Brutal Reality Check

Tags: