Injuries are piling up at wide receiver for the Jets, leading them to bolster their depth at the position by signing Donte Moncrief.
Moncrief has bounced around the league after spending his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He spent 2018 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and split 2019 between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers before landing in New York. He has yet to take the practice field for the Jets, but has an opportunity to earn playing time given the current state of the wide receiver room.
With that being said let’s get to know the Jets’ latest free agent signing.
Former Jet Killer
Going up against the Jets has always brought out the best in Moncrief.
In three games against New York, Moncrief has racked up 16 receptions for 257 yards and three touchdowns, including a five-catch 109-yard performance in 2018 in which he torched Trumaine Johnson for a long touchdown reception.
The Jets are hoping that Moncrief can put up those types of numbers playing for them. If he can replicate his latest performance against New York on a weekly basis, Sam Darnold will have a dangerous weapon to work with.
Speed demon since high school
Back in Moncrief’s high school days, he was one of Mississippi’s finest track performers.
Moncrief’s main track event at Raleigh High School was the long jump. He won the 3A state championship twice in the long jump with a personal best jump of 7.76 meters. At the NFL draft combine in 2014, Moncrief had an 11-foot broad jump, which put him in the 95th percentile.
Charitable Side
Ever since entering the NFL, Donte Moncrief has made it his mission to give back to his community.
While with the Colts in 2017, Moncrief had a fundraiser for his Game Changer Foundation that raised $40,000. That same year in July, he gave kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis backpacks with school supplies. Moncrief also has his own youth football camp that he holds every summer in Mississippi called “You Gotta Believe.”
“Just growing up back at home in Mississippi and you don’t have anything,” Moncrief told Colts.com. “To go from not having anything to being able to have something is a big step. I know how I felt as a kid, so just being able to give back to kids who don’t have that is huge.”
A reunion at One Jets Drive
Moncrief shouldn’t have a hard time fitting in with his new team, as many of his former Colts teammates are with the Jets.
Pierre Desir, Matthias Farley, Nate Hairston, Quincy Wilson, Ross Travis, Henry Anderson and Jonotthan Harrison all played with Moncrief when they were with the Colts. He is no stranger to going up against Desir, Farley, Hairston and Wilson in the secondary during practice, either.
Familiarity will help Moncrief adjust to his new surroundings. That should be a major boon for him as he works toward earning a spot on New York’s 53-man roster.
