NY Jets: 4 biggest disappointments of the 2021 season so far

The NY Jets have performed more or less about as well as they were expected to through the first six weeks of the 2021 season.

Sure there have been elements of the team that have fallen short of expectations such as the offense's overall ineptitude, but that's been counteracted by an overachieving defense, particularly in the secondary.

The Jets are 1-4 coming out of their bye week, and unless your expectations were a little lofty, this is about where most projected the team to be.

That being said, the Jets have experienced their fair share of disappointing performances from a number of players on the roster.

Truth be told, expectations were pretty low for the Jets this year. But that doesn't mean that each member of the roster had low expectations — far from it.

In fact, some players entered the 2021 season with a pretty optimistic outlook. Unfortunately, optimism is oftentimes the enemy.

And for the four players on this list, that certainly is the case.

Let's take a look at four Jets players who have underperformed through the first five games of the season.

4. Denzel Mims, WR, NY Jets

Let's get this one out of the way first. It's hardly fair to Denzel Mims to insist that he's "underperformed" so far in 2021, mostly because he's barely even been given the opportunity to perform in the first place.

Nonetheless, it's hard to consider his sophomore NFL season anything other than a disappointment through six weeks.

Mims has been active for only three games, all of which were brought on as a necessity due to injuries. He played just 21 total offensive snaps and has been rendered an afterthought in a struggling Jets offense.

Despite his lack of playing time, Mims has still produced when on the field. He's hauled in three catches for 73 yards recording one reception for every seven snaps he's played.

But if Mims can't find a way to stay on the field, it's hard to see his 2021 season getting any better.

Hopes were high this offseason that Mims could build upon a promising rookie campaign and develop into a long-term starter for the Jets this season.

Unfortunately, he remains firmly in the doghouse of the Jets' coaching staff, and barring any unforeseen changes, his future with the organization looks murky at best.

It's hard to blame the player here, but Mims' 2021 season has certainly been a major disappointment.

3. Marcus Maye, S, NY Jets

It was difficult to know what to expect from Marcus Maye in 2021. Following a career year in 2020, Maye went into the year looking to solidify his case for a new contract.

Whether that contract was from the Jets or another team likely didn't matter. He was simply out to prove that last season wasn't going to be his peak.

Unfortunately, Maye has made more headlines for off-field situations he's found himself in than he has for his on-field play.

Amidst trade rumors and social media drama, news broke that Maye had been arrested for a DUI back in February. He and his representatives kept this a secret from the Jets and the NFL until it finally came out earlier this month.

Now, Maye faces a possible suspension and his days with the Jets seem numbered, not that they didn't already prior to his legal trouble.

To make matters worse, Maye has been sidelined since Week 3 with an ankle injury and is on pace for arguably the worst season of his career. Maye registered a career-worst 58.0 Pro Football Focus grade through his first three games.

That's a very small sample size, sure. But he certainly hasn't done himself any favors in regard to finding a team that's willing to give him what he wants in a new contract.

Maye's 2021 season has been equal parts disappointing for himself as it has been the Jets. At this rate, they'll be lucky to get anything remotely close to equal value back in return, if they decide to trade him.

2. Corey Davis, WR, NY Jets

Corey Davis was signed to be the Jets' No. 1 receiver in the offseason. The former top-five pick was handed a three-year, $37.5 million contract and asked to be the guy for the first time in his career.

Things started off great in Week 1 as Davis finished as the team's leading receiver hauling in five catches for 97 yards. It's been downhill since, however.

Most concerning is the fact that Davis has already registered five drops in just five games this season. He finished with only three drops throughout the entire 2020 campaign and just four the year prior.

Davis really hasn't had issues with drops since his rookie season, but even then, he's never dropped passes at a rate even close to this.

It's unclear what's sparked this recent case of butterfingers, but whatever it is, it's hurting Zach Wilson and the Jets' offense.

Davis is still on pace to put up career numbers as he has 20 catches for 302 yards and three touchdowns through five games. At that rate, he'll surpass his career-highs in all three major receiving categories.

But volume stats don't tell the whole story. Davis' drops have prevented him from being the playmaker that he could be for the Jets' offense.

The Jets expected more from a player they signed to be their best wide receiver in the offseason.

1. Elijah Moore, WR, NY Jets

This is another Denzel Mims-like case where it's hard to put a player's "disappointment" on the player themselves. Such is the case with Elijah Moore.

A second-round pick in this year's draft, the Jets were ecstatic when Moore managed to slip out of the first round and fall right into their laps at pick No. 34.

The coaching staff immediately began raving that they had acquired one of the most dynamic playmakers in the entire draft, and their claims were supported with a training camp for the ages.

If not Carl Lawson, no player shined more this summer than Moore did. The Ole Miss product was the Jets' most explosive offensive weapon flashing his talent each and every team he took the field.

But we haven't really seen any of that from Moore thus far in the regular season. Much of that is due to his puzzling usage.

The Jets have isolated Moore on the boundary and pigeonholed him primarily as an outside receiver. Rather than take advantage of the versatility and explosiveness that the coaching staff raved about, they've stuck him on the boundary and asked him to fit the role they've given him.

The results have been exactly what you'd expect.

Moore has just eight catches for 66 yards in four games and has seen his snap count drop in each week. He hasn't even caught a pass in nearly a month.

The Jets need to find ways to get Elijah Moore involved in the offense. Through six weeks, his lack of an impact has been one of the most disappointing parts of the team's season.