NY Jets sign Keelan Cole to bolster wide receiver depth

The NY Jets have added another player to their wide receiver room in the form of former Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Keelan Cole.

The Jets and Cole have reportedly agreed to terms on a one-year deal, $5.5 million deal, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter even indicated that Cole drew significantly more interest than many of the top wideouts on the market.

But the Jets managed to sign him for a relative bargain — cheaper than the deal they signed Breshad Perriman to a year ago.

Cole accumulated plenty of starting experience over the four years he spent in Jacksonville and should provide excellent depth to a Jets’ wide receiver room that continues to improve.

Keelan Cole is a nice pickup for the NY Jets

Originally an undrafted free agent, Cole signed with the Jaguars shortly after the 2017 NFL Draft. And it didn’t take long for the undrafted rookie to make a name for himself.

Despite going undrafted, Cole led the Jaguars in receiving in 2017 hauling in 42 catches for 748 yards and three touchdowns. He helped parlay that into a full-time starting gig the next year.

Unfortunately, he would never match the level of production he had in his rookie season, partially due to a lackluster Jaguars passing attack.

Cole remained an important part of Jacksonville’s receiving corps in the subsequent years even recording a career-high 55 catches for 642 yards and five touchdowns this past season.

He’s a high-end No. 3 or 4 wide receiver, and the Jets got him at a very reasonable price. On top of that, he’s known as a stout special-teamer who played almost 40 percent of the team’s special-teams snaps in 2020.

All of a sudden, the Jets’ wide receiver corps is looking pretty solid. Alongside Corey Davis, Denzel Mims, and Jamison Crowder, the Jets’ top four receivers are all very capable NFL players.

There’s some real depth there.

Cole turns 28-years-old next month and is only signed to a one-year deal, so it’s hardly like this is a move for the future. But he’s amassed over 360 yards in every season and topped 640 yards in two of his four years.

This is more than just a no-name depth signing. Cole is an experienced, productive receiver who should play an important role on offense this year.

A very nice signing for the Jets to continue bolstering their wide receiver depth chart.