3 NY Jets players that must step up following the Corey Davis injury

The NY Jets were dealt a major blow on Monday when it was revealed that wide receiver Corey Davis would be forced to undergo core muscle surgery thus sidelining him for the remainder of the season.

Though Davis has had his struggles this season, there's no doubt that he's still a very good football player and an important part of the Jets offense when healthy.

Davis established himself as a favorite of rookie quarterback Zach Wilson early in the season hauling in five catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns in his Jets debut.

In nine games this season, Davis will finish with 34 catches for 492 yards and four touchdowns. However, that stat line would be incomplete with his career-high six drops coming on a career-low 450 offensive snaps.

Again, Davis was far from perfect this season, and he's likely better than the version the Jets saw in 2021. Nonetheless, the Jets will now be forced to replace one of their best offensive weapons over the final five games of the year.

Davis' absence, while a detriment for the overall offense, could serve as a golden opportunity for others who are now in line for an increased role.

Let's take a look at three Jets players that could shine with Corey Davis now sidelined for the remainder of the season.

3. Keelan Cole, WR, NY Jets

Keelan Cole was forced to sit out in Week 13 after testing positive for COVID-19, but the former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver should be in line for more playing time upon his return.

Cole was signed to a one-year, $5.5 million contract in the offseason as the Jets looked to overhaul their wide receiver room. Although his signing was a bit overshadowed by the addition of Davis.

With Davis now out of the picture, however, it could be Cole's time to shine.

In 10 games this season, Cole has hauled in just 19 catches for 299 yards as he's been a nonfactor most weeks. He has just one game with more than three catches and seven with two or fewer grabs.

That said, he did receive a much larger workload when Davis was forced to miss consecutive games back in late October and early November.

Davis was sidelined due to an injury in Weeks 8 and 9, and over those two weeks, Cole received a whopping 13 of his 33 total targets on the year. He recorded eight catches for 91 yards as well.

There's every reason to believe that Cole will be given a larger role once he returns which could be as soon as this week. Of the two Jets wide receivers inked to new contracts in the offseason, only one remains.

Keelan Cole will look to emerge from Corey Davis' shadow over the final month or so of the season.

2. Elijah Moore, WR, NY Jets

Zach Wilson will need a new No. 1 target with Corey Davis now out for the year. And every indication is that fellow rookie Elijah Moore could and should be that guy moving forward.

A second-round pick in this year's draft, Moore was the biggest star of the spring for the Jets but missed a lot of time in the summer due to a groin injury that held him out for the entire preseason.

For that reason, and partially due to poor quarterback play, Moore got off to a bit of a slow start. But the former Ole Miss star has come alive in recent weeks and looks like one of the best rookie wide receivers in football.

Moore has hauled in 34 catches for 459 yards over his last seven games which would put him on pace for nearly 1,400 yards in a 17-game season. He's legitimately been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL over the last two months.

That continued this past Sunday when Moore finished with six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in the Jets' Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. In that game, Moore was targeted a career-high 12 times.

That game showed what the Jets and many others saw for most of the offseason. The Zach Wilson/Elijah Moore chemistry was on full display for the first time in the regular season.

There's a new No. 1 guy in the Jets' offense. And his name is Elijah Moore.

1. Denzel Mims, WR, NY Jets

No player has more to gain from Corey Davis' absence than Denzel Mims. In the previous three games that Davis was forced to miss, Mims stepped in and essentially took over Davis' role in the offense.

Now, with Davis sidelined for the remainder of the year, the next five games will serve as an audition of sorts for Mims. This is his opportunity to prove that he's deserving of a role in the offense next season.

Following a promising finish to his rookie season, most expected Mims to take a big step forward in his second NFL campaign. Unfortunately, the exact opposite has happened.

Mims quickly found himself plummeting down the depth chart in the summer and was even a healthy scratch multiple times over the first month of the season. He's been a complete afterthought for much of the year.

In seven games, Mims has hauled in just eight catches for 133 yards. He's played 36 percent of the team's total offensive snaps but hasn't been able to make the impact most thought he would.

Mims has been given opportunities in the past, but none will be greater than this one. The former Baylor standout will have five weeks to prove his worth. To prove that the Jets need to make him a part of their plans in 2022.

The pressure is on, but without a doubt, Mims has more to gain from Davis' absence than any other player on the Jets' roster.