A New York Jets receiving corps light on experience heading into 2017 is even more short-handed after Monday.
Head coach Todd Bowles announced that wide receiver Quincy Enunwa will undergo surgery to correct a bulging disk in his neck. Enunwa suffered the injury during training camp practice on Saturday. The looming procedure means that his 2017 season is over before it even began.
Big loss: Jets are placing WR Quincy Enunwa on injured reserve with a neck injury, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 7, 2017
New York Jets Wide Receiver Quincy Enunwa To Undergo Season-Ending Neck Surgery
Enunwa came into this year with high hopes after a successful 2016 campaign. His third year in the NFL saw Enunwa finish with 857 receiving yards and four touchdown grabs, both of which led the team. His 14.8 yards per reception was good enough for 17th in the league.
The team shed quite a few veteran players during the off-season. And the receiving corps found itself directly impacted by the moves. Both Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker departed, signing with the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans respectively. Marshall accounted for 788 yards receiving and three touchdown grabs, while Decker’s season ended prematurely due to a shoulder injury.
Those departures, combined with the news on Enunwa, means that Robby Anderson is the returning receiver with the most yards from last year. Anderson played in all 16 games, made eight starts and finished third behind Enunwa and Marshall with 587 receiving yards. But this latest development thrusts him into the spotlight on a dangerously thin unit. Rookie ArDarius Stewart may also see an expanded role.
Gang Green already has myriad questions at the quarterback position. 38-year-old Josh McCown is the likely week one starter. Behind him is Bryce Petty who made four starts last year and finished with three touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Third-stringer Christian Hackenberg was reportedly kicked out of practice on Monday for failing to break the huddle properly.
The Jets get their 2017 preseason started on Saturday when Decker’s Titans come to MetLife Stadium. Kickoff from East Rutherford, NJ takes place at 7:30 PM ET.
