Analyzing 2015 season of Brandon Marshall

For the New York Jets in 2015, wide receiver Brandon Marshall but the franchise on the map with one of the best seasons ever at the position.

Last offseason, the New York Jets made the decision to give the Chicago Bears their fourth-rounder in exchange for a seventh-round pick and wide receiver Brandon Marshall. It was a great move at the time, but no one expected the All-Pro to post the best year of his career.

He was 31-years-old and coming off of a rib injury that ended his 2014 campaign in Week 14. For him to rack up 109 catches for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns was absolutely amazing for a franchise that has struggled mightily offensively as of late.

The one season in which Marshall came close to what he did in 2015 was his first year as a Bear. In 2012, he totaled 118 receptions for 1,508 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was targeted an eye-opening 194 times, although it’s hard to knock those numbers. It’s hard to knock what he’s done thus far as a member of the Jets as well.

With the exception of three games, the UCF graduate made his mark on opposing defenses both regularly and assertively. Marshall struggled in the first outing against the New England Patriots (four catches for 67 yards), the first of two vs. Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills (three catches for 23 yards and one touchdown) and the match-up against the Dallas Cowboys (four catches for 74 yards).

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For most receivers, four catches for 74 yards isn’t too shabby.

For what Marshall did this past season, a performance along those lines honestly wasn’t enough.

The more impressive stat would have to be how often he scored.

In all but four weeks, he found pay dirt at least once.

His presence has an impact on every player in the offense and allows even the smallest role players to shine. We saw Kenbrell Thompkins, Quincy Enunwa and Bilal Powell emerge out of nowhere in the passing game in the last few contests. The door was also open for Eric Decker from start to finish and as a result, he had himself another great season.

The 29-year-old caught 80 passes for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns as Marshall’s partner in crime. Let’s not forget, he missed the Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and with him active, it would’ve been much different. No. 15 did just about everything in that game and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had the world on his shoulders.

Speaking of ‘Fitz,’ Marshall helped him have a fairly decent year, didn’t he? The gunslinger concluded 2015 with 3,905 yards and 31 touchdowns. The most touchdowns Fitzpatrick ever had in a season prior was 24 and he accomplished that in 2011 as well as 2012.

This was of course while he was still in Buffalo under current Jets’ offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. The two have a tremendous connection that has led to plenty of success, however, Marshall was a large part of what the quarterback did last year.

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Overall, there really isn’t much to say about New York’s best receiver. He might go down as the greatest wideout to play for the organization and he’s certainly the most important part of the team as it stands right now. Chris Ivory, Powell, Decker, Thompkins, Enunwa and the other weapons wouldn’t have achieved what they did in 2015 if it wasn’t for Marshall. It’s as simple as that.

Grade: A

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