Forgotten WR shines as biggest star of NY Jets' first training camp practice

The 2023 season was an unmitigated disaster for NY Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard. The former Green Bay Packers wide receiver signed with the Jets in the offseason with the hope that he could continue catching passes from his longtime teammate, Aaron Rodgers, in New York.

Instead, Rodgers would tear his Achilles just four plays into the season and Lazard would go on to put together what was easily his worst year in the NFL. Drops, benchings, and questionable comments headlined a disaster of a 2023 campaign for the former Packers standout.

The Jets are stuck with Lazard for at least one season, but expectations are understandably low given his abysmal 2023 performance. Many have been quick to write off the former UDFA, even with Rodgers returning this season.

But not so fast. Lazard is out to prove that he can still be a factor in the Jets' offense in 2024, and his performance on the first day of training camp this week certainly helped his case.

Are the NY Jets going to see an Allen Lazard bounce-back season?

Lazard hauled in the first catch of Jets team drills, skying high into the air to snag an Aaron Rodgers pass over the middle of the field to beat the zone coverage for a 20-yard gain. It wasn't an easy catch for the veteran wideout who was starting with the first-team offense in place of the injured Mike Williams.

Lazard would put a stamp on an overall excellent day on the final play of practice, leaping to haul in a Rodgers touchdown pass in the back of the end zone. It was the finishing touch on Lazard's best practice of the offseason.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh praised Lazard after practice, insisting that the Iowa State product has been "phenomenal with his teammates" this summer. Having Rodgers back certainly seems to have lit a fire under the longtime Packers wide receiver.

Lazard struggled at times during OTAs and minicamp, registering a few drops even with Rodgers at quarterback. But while he was likely never worth the four-year, $44 million contract the Jets handed him last offseason, he's definitely better than what the team saw this past year.

Lazard was statistically one of the worst wide receivers in the NFL by every conceivable metric. He couldn't get open, didn't make plays after the catch, and led all qualified receivers in drop rate. He was a complete net negative.

The Jets won't necessarily be relying on Lazard as a starting wide receiver in 2024 following the additions of Williams and rookie Malachi Corley, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to see him bounce back a little this season.

Allen Lazard becoming a viable NFL wide receiver in 2024 would be an important development for the Jets' offense. He's already off to a hot start this summer.