Apparently if you’re a Jets second-round pick, not doing much on the field and then getting trashed by anonymous sources in the media is kind of a thing. It’s a weird rite of initiation, for sure, but it’s clearly a club at this point.
After 2016 second-rounder Christian Hackenberg had his turn in the barrel last week, we’ve now moved back a year to wide receiver Devin Smith.
Via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, there were concerns about whether Smith was truly involved after coming back from a torn ACL this season, with sources saying “team decision makers wanted him to be more engaged in his preparation in meetings once he was medically cleared to play.”
Smith was cleared prior to Week 10, but didn’t play until Week 14. He played 35 snaps in four games, and caught one pass this year. He’s played in 14 of a possible 32 games since they chose him 37th overall in 2015, mostly because of injuries. He suffered broken ribs and a partially punctured lung in training camp in 2015, then tore his ACL while playing special teams in Week 11 of his rookie season. He started this season on the physically unable to perform list, but it apparently wasn’t the physical they were worried about.
“A lot of times I felt that I was ready and my name wasn’t called,” Smith said. “I just told myself, ‘Just keep working hard.’ That’s been the whole thing this year. Just working on my body and making sure my body gets what it needs. So, I feel like going into this offseason is very important.”
The Jets used three rookie wide receivers this season, with undrafted Robby Anderson at the head of the class. And if there are questions about whether Smith is putting in the time necessary, seeing a guy with less of a pedigree getting his snaps probably puts that in stark relief.
“He started, . . . kind of regaining his old form late in the season,” General Manager Mike Maccagnan said of Smith. “Didn’t have a lot of opportunities. This will be a big offseason for him. We’ll see how he does, . . . It’ll be an important year for him. We like him in terms of a prospect. We do think he has potential. It’s a question of giving him an opportunity to get on the field and actually show what he can do.”
There will certainly be some offensive retooling for the Jets, and Smith’s draft status likely buys him at least one more year. But with veterans Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker (for now) along with a crop of rookies who took advantage of Smith’s absence, it might be hard for him to work his way back into the rotation.
