Jets' Receivers Speak up as Training Camp Starts
The New York Jets refurbished their receiving corps this past offseason, sending Elijah Moore and Denzel Mims elsewhere and signing proven veteran free agents Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman.
The 6-foot-5 Lazard and the speedy Hardman likely slide into the WR2 and WR3 slots on Gang Green's depth chart behind reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson.
Then, there's veteran Corey Davis, who the Jets signed with high expectations in 2021. The big-bodied receiver hasn't lived up to his $12.5 million AAV contract, but appears to play a part in the offensive plans this season.
Wilson, Lazard, Hardman and Davis have all been present for the first week of training camp in Florham Park and each player has made at least one highlight reel-worthy grab thus far.
The two returnees and two free-agent additions all spoke from the podium at some point between Thursday and Sunday. One notable comment from each receiver is listed below.
Corey Davis
"That fire is never going anywhere, no matter I'm the 1, 2, 3, it doesn't matter. We've got a lot of talent in that room, a lot of dudes who bring different stuff to the table, a lot of diversity. I'm just trying to play my role the best I can."
Davis was rumored to be a salary cap casualty cut candidate early in the offseason, but head coach Robert Saleh insisted that the veteran still had a role on the team. The former Top 5 overall draft pick, who entered the NFL with the Tennessee Titans in 2017, has made 66 catches for 1,028 yards and six touchdowns over 22 appearances for the Jets.
The 28-year-old Davis, who has averaged 15.6 yards per reception as a Jet, possesses big-play ability and can also contribute as a blocker in the run game.
Davis made a nice scoring grab late during Saturday's practice.
Mecole Hardman
"He's very intelligent. He's a great QB. He's definitely on time with everything. It's been good, just building the chemistry with him day by day and I'm just getting that thing where it's needs to be."
Hardman has gone from playing with one NFL MVP to another. The slot receiver spent the first four years of his NFL career catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, earning two Super Bowl rings with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now, he'll work with future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers.
Showing off nice footwork, Hardman ended Saturday's practice with by pulling down a pass from Rodgers in the back of the end zone.
Allen Lazard
"I'm pretty much a Teacher Assistant as this point. I've been very fortunate in my career, which is extremely rare what I've realized, to be able to stay in the same system with the same language with the same quarterback. I'm pretty fluent."
Lazard, who went undrafted in 2018, has spent his entire pro career with Rodgers as the signal caller. He caught more than 65 percent of his targets as a Packer.
Iowa State's all-time leading receiver has totaled 14 touchdown receptions over his last 30 NFL appearances. In 2022, Lazard led the Packers in catches (60) and receiving yards (788).
He made for a couple of nice connections with Rodgers during last week's practice sessions.
Garrett Wilson
"Allen [Lazard] has helped tremendously, just the way he's goes about being in the meeting room and being out on the field makes it easier on me because he's gonna share the knowledge. He wants everyone to be on the same page. Allen and Randall [Cobb] have been a huge help with that. I feel like I'm where I should be right now as far as learning the offense. We know it, but there's a lot of nuances to it. That's the difference this year. It's a similar offense to what we ran last year and if you play ball, you love ball, you know what we're running. We're running West Coast offense."
Coming off a 1,103-yard receiving season, Wilson assumes the No. 1 receiver role in new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett's scheme and has been building a rapport with his new quarterback.
Having played three seasons in Hackett's system during their time with the Packers, Lazard serves as a great resource for the holdovers in the Jets' receivers room.
Wilson, whose practice performance has garnered rave reviews thus far, made the catch of the weekend while executing a superb toe tap for a touchdown.
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