Latest Jets rumors make Malachi Corley trade-up look even worse

The New York Jets certainly acted like they were all in on third-round wide receiver Malachi Corley, but their hype soon turned into mockery after a player who was expected to be a huge part of their offense was so ineffective that it has some wondering if he is even going to stick around with this new coaching staff.

One of two things happened. Either the Jets were lying about how enamored they were with Corley (it was reported the Jets had him ranked over Brian Thomas Jr.) or they instantly soured on him when he came into camp. ESPN's Rich Cimini seems to imply that the first scenario may have been more accurate.

Per Cimini, the Jets' coaching staff was not exactly thrilled with the Corley selection, citing the lack of polished route-running that anyone who watched him for 15 minutes at Western Kentucky could see would be a serious issue in the NFL.

What happened to "no matter what?" In the span of one year, Corley went from someone the front office traded up to acquire and Aaron Rodgers publicly fawned over to a seldom-used project who is not guaranteed to last for one more season with the Jets.

NY Jets reportedly were not high on Malachi Corley after NFL Draft

Corley had just five touches from scrimmage in his rookie season, three of which were pass catches and two of which came on non-screen plays. One of those touches was his infamous primetime blunder where he dropped what would have been his first NFL touchdown at the one-yard line and created a turnover.

Corley is, at best, the fifth wide receiver on the depth chart. The projected starting trio of Garrett Wilson, Josh Reynolds, and Allen Lazard will likely provide a minimal opportunity for Corley to earn some starting reps, while Tyler Johnson has Corley beat out once again.

While Corley himself certainly didn't help his case, this is another indictment of the Robert Saleh-Joe Douglas regime as a whole. They drafted a player who was known as a poor route-runner, yet they seem incredulous at the idea that he wouldn't immediately turn into Larry Fitzgerald in the pros.

Corley's NFL career is already hanging on by a thread, and the Jets may need to cut their losses if Aaron Glenn and his new offensive coaching staff are unable to turn the Deebo Samuel wannabe into a reliable target for Justin Fields this season.

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