New York Jets: Could Devin Smith be difference maker?

The New York Jets need another wide receiver to step up and be a difference maker besides Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. Could Devin Smith step up and prove he can exceed expectations in 2016?

Last season for the Jets, they enjoyed having a top dynamic duo at wide receiver in Marshall and Decker. They both combined for 2,529 receiving yards, 189 receptions and 26 touchdowns. Needless to say, they were a major reason why the Jets’ offense was clicking on all cylinders last season.

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Outside of both Marshall and Decker, the Jets don’t really have a legitimate No. 3 wide receiver to alleviate the workload. Last season, both athletes dealt with nagging injuries and played through most of it as they were pretty much the only consistent reasons that kept those chains moving on offense. Luckily for the Jets, they didn’t miss any major amounts of playing time due to injury.

Unfortunately for the Jets last season, Smith suffered a torn ACL injury in mid-December. As he works hard to come back ready to deliver, he’s presented with a golden opportunity to live up to his potential and bring that record speed to the Jets’ offense that made him famous at Ohio State.

At his collegiate career, Smith totaled 2,503 receiving yards, 121 receptions and 30 touchdowns. If he can bring that tenacity to the Jets’ offense, he will easily be a difference maker at a time when they need it most heading into the upcoming season.

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With uncertainty at who exactly will be the starting quarterback of the Jets to lead this team in 2016, truth of the matter is another deep threat wide receiver can make any option the Jets have under center thrive.

One can only imagine that if Smith emerges as a true threat on offense, he would bring an incredible dimension to an offense that is loaded with play-makers.

The Jets could launch a new triple threat at wide receiver that could shock the football world with speed, veteran experience and a knack at scoring plenty of touchdowns.

Considering they already have a similar potential trio at running back with Matt Forte, Khiry Robinson and Bilal Powell, if they can get incredible production out of their dynamic wide receiver corps, the sky could be the limit for a team that hasn’t had a trip to the NFL Playoffs since 2010.

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Overall, if Smith could stay healthy and do what he did best in college, he will be a catalyst on offense that will only compliment what they already have established. All it takes is that surprising x-factor to hit at the right time as that kind of momentum alone can carry a team deeper than it was ever thought was possible. Hopefully for the case of the Jets and the early NFL career so far for Smith, this is the case in 2016.