As the Jets get close to training camp, I am going to examine the roster and give you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game. I also am not including Ryan Fitzpatrick on the list becuase he is not technically a Jet at this time.
No. 1: Brandon Marshall
Last year’s ranking: 5
Position: Wide receiver
Age: 32
How acquired: Traded by the Bears along with a seventh-round draft pick for a fifth-round draft pick on March 10, 2015
Years left on contract: 2
2016 Salary Cap figure: $9.5 million
Looking back at 2015: The trade for Marshall was one of the greatest steals in Jets history. He has an immediate impact and was the team’s MVP in 2015.
His statistics are staggering – 109 receptions (team record), 1,502 receiving yards (team record), 14 receiving touchdowns (tied for team record). He caught 65.3 percent of the passes thrown his way.
Marshall transformed the Jets offense and helped Ryan Fitzpatrick have a career year. Marshall was a huge weapon in the red zone. Fitzpatrick’s numbers were padded by how many 50/50 balls Marshall won.
The biggest question with Marshall when he arrived was how he would act off the field, but he was no problem at all. He became a team leader and struck the right tone early on by supporting Geno Smith. Then he helped the team through the transition to Fitzpatrick. The chemistry developed between Marshall, Fitzpatrick and Eric Decker was the key to the Jets’ 2015 season.
Pro Football Focus graded him as the 16th-best receiver in the league.
If you wanted to find one criticism, he did have 11 drops. But when you have 109 catches, you can live with a few drops.
Outlook for 2016: Marshall turned 32 in March, bringing the usual questions of whether he is on the verge of a dropoff.
He showed no signs of slowing down in 2015. If he can stay healthy, there is no reason to expect a major dip in production this year. Can he duplicate last year’s numbers? That will be challenging.
Marshall will be a key figure in the locker room if Fitzpatrick does not re-sign. How Marshall responds to Smith if the team is struggling is going to be something everyone from his teammates to the media will be watching closely.
I always knew Marshall was an excellent receiver, but I did not appreciate how great he actually is until watching him for a full season. Somehow, he is underrated. Marshall should be in the discussion of the best receivers in the league and as a potential Hall of Famer.
