Malachi Corley's Jets career could be over after latest damning move

The NY Jets had huge plans for wide receiver Malachi Corley when they traded up to the No. 65 overall pick to select the former Western Kentucky star. The Jets shared text messages between Joe Douglas in Robert Saleh in which they fawned over Corley, who was reportedly much higher on their draft board.

Since then, Corley has made little to no positive impact on the Jets season, and one could argue his presence has had an overall negative effect. Even with the season lost after a 4-10 start, the Jets can't find ways to get their prized draft addition on the field.

After Irv Charles' torn ACL, Corley could have seen an uptick in snaps against a terrible Jacksonville Jaguars defense. Instead, the Jets decided to bring practice squad wide receiver Brandon Smith up for this game, once again relegating Corley to a backup role.

The Jets made Corley a healthy scratch despite the fact everything about this situation should make it a perfect proving ground for Corley. It seems like this organization is not interested in trying to turn him into a star anymore.

NY Jets rookie Malachi Corley in hot water after being named inactive again

Corley has touched the ball five times during his rookie season. He caught three passes for 16 yards and carried the ball two times for 26 yards. The infamous memory that may define his entire Jets tenure came when he was about to score his first NFL touchdown on Thursday Night Football, but dropped the ball at the goal line and turned it over.

Corley was a playmaker in college as a runner and down the field, but he did so while running a very limited route tree in an offense one-tenth as complex as the professional game. Without elite speed, Corley may find it difficult to separate consistently in the pros.

Douglas has essentially burned three different third-round picks on fire, depending on how the Davante Adams situation shakes out. The 2024 pick was wasted on Corley, 2025 will head to the Raiders despite Adams possibly looking for a way out of the Jets rebuild, and 2026 will go to the Eagles after Haason Reddick did next to nothing.

The Jets will likely retool their wide receiver room in the offseason, which could make it even tougher for Corley to break through and earn more snaps. The Jets may just need to cut their losses with this one, as Corley just isn't meshing with this roster.

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