When Sam Darnold takes a look around the field during Week 1, he will see a lot of new faces. While the Jets didn’t exactly give Darnold keys to a new Ferrari this offseason, Joe Douglas did his part to remodel an offense that should be more explosive and efficient in 2020.
Douglas decided against making a serious run at extending Robby Anderson, replacing him with Breshad Perriman instead. Through their time together, Anderson was Darnold’s most suitable weapon on the outside, finishing the 2019 season with 52 receptions for 779 yards and five touchdowns. While the Jets have had internal discussions about bringing back Demaryius Thomas, the veteran free agent wide receiver still waits in the wind with training camp already underway. Between the absences of Anderson and Thomas, that’s 156 targets that the Jets are going to have to replace in 2020.
Still, the Jets are returning some familiar faces at skill positions. Jamison Crowder, Le’Veon Bell and Chris Herndon combined for 204 targets during the 2019 season. Ryan Griffin, Vyncint Smith and Braxton Berrios were also targeted a combined 85 times.
Which Jets will get the most targets from Darnold in 2020 though? We have some guesses.
Chris Herndon
Sam Darnold’s security blanket returns to the fold after a lost 2019.
Coming out in the same draft class as Darnold, Chris Herndon quickly became one of the young quarterback’s most trusted targets. He caught 39 passes for 502 yards and four touchdowns in 2018, finishing his rookie campaign as the Jets’ second-leading receiver.
After a breakout rookie season, Herndon provided just one catch for seven yards between a four-game suspension and multiple injuries. While Herndon had just two targets in 2019 after receiving 56 a season before, his awaited return to the starting lineup is a welcomed opportunity for Darnold and the Jets passing attack. The two had strong chemistry and should be able to pick up right where they left off in 2018.
Le’Veon Bell
With reinforcements added on the offensive line, Le’Veon Bell will surely be utilized more in the Jets’ passing game this season.
One of the better pass-catching backs in the league, Bell received just 78 targets from Jets quarterbacks during his first year in green and white. New York was unable to fully unleash Bell in the team’s passing attack as he was needed more in pass protection because of Gang Green’s porous offensive line.
In 2019, Bell caught 66 passes for 461 yards with his lone touchdown coming in Week 1. Out to prove that last season was an anomaly, New York has a motivated Bell on its hands. It’s up to Adam Gase to put Bell in the best position to succeed in 2020, but all signs point to Bell thriving in his second year playing with Darnold.
Jamison Crowder
In his debut season with Gang Green, Jamison Crowder was the team’s most reliable receiver.
Crowder caught 78 passes for 833 yards and six touchdowns while being targeted by Jets quarterbacks 122 times. Ever so consistent in the slot, Crowder owned a 24.8 percent target share, 11th-highest in the league in 2019.
If last season is any indication, Darnold clearly has a new favorite target. Crowder anchoring the middle of the field is an added bonus with the return of Herndon and a motivated Bell.
Breshad Perriman
Breshad Perriman is the Jets’ answer to replacing Robby Anderson.
Over the past two seasons, Anderson was targeted 190 times by Jets quarterbacks. Considering Perriman has 195 career targets to his name, that’s a giant leap of faith for Gang Green.
With drops a thing of the past for Perriman and an increased role from a season before, its likely he will receive a lot of his targets at the outside receiver position.
Denzel Mims
While Denzel Mims is bound to have a major impact on the Jets offense this season, it likely won’t come without growing pains.
Mims is penciled in as the No. 2 wide receiver, but he’ll be forced to learn as he goes. An offseason without spring workouts and preseason could be a learning curve for a rookie like Mims, but he won’t be alone.
Still, he should be a key component of the Jets offense and a primary target for Darnold going forward.
