Ranking the NY Jets' 5 biggest disappointments of 2021

The NY Jets, as a whole, performed about as well as most probably expected them to in 2021, especially when considering the misfortunate the team was forced to deal with.

The Jets finished with a 4-13 record that included wins over teams like the Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals. There are plenty of reasons for optimism heading into the 2022 offseason, but it's safe to say that 2021 wasn't the kindest year for every player on the roster.

While players such as George Fant and Bryce Hall undoubtedly exceeded expectations, there were a few others who fell short of their pre-season prospects.

Let's take a look at five of the biggest disappointments for the Jets in 2021.

5. Keelan Cole, WR, NY Jets

The Jets signed Keelan Cole to a one-year, $5.5 million contract in the offseason with the expectation that he would serve as valuable depth to a much-improved wide receiver corps.

Unfortunately, Cole fell well short of those expectations and was mostly an afterthought or liability when on the field. And he was on the field a lot — more than most probably realize.

Cole actually led all Jets wide receivers with 557 offensive snaps, but despite this, he managed just 28 catches for 449 yards and a touchdown. He was one of Pro Football Focus' worst-graded wide receivers and the tape supports that.

Cole was little more than a body for the vast majority of the time he was on the field. That's a far cry from the high-end WR4 the Jets thought they were bringing in.

4. Marcus Maye, S, NY Jets

Following a career year in 2020 that saw him finish with a career-best 82.9 PFF grade (ranked fifth among all safeties), Marcus Maye was hoping to put together a similar campaign in 2021.

That's especially due to the fact that he was playing for a new contract and was hoping to cash-in in the offseason. But few players saw their stock fall as much as Maye's did this past season.

The former second-round pick started just six games before suffering a torn Achilles that would sideline him for the remainder of the year. And as if receiving one of the worst injuries in sports wasn't enough, Maye's play on the field when healthy was nothing to write home about.

Maye took a major step back in 2021 earning a woeful 55.9 PFF grade that ranked 81st out of 94 qualified safeties. His 49.9 coverage grade, in particular, was easily the lowest score of his career.

Now, coming off the worst year of his career coupled with a devastating injury, Maye's market value has without a doubt plummeted. Maye's dud of a 2021 season couldn't have come at a worse time for the standout safety.

The Jets will likely look to move on in the offseason, and they'll choose to remember the prior years of Marcus Maye when he was one of the better safeties in football.

He's better than the 2021 version that he showed when healthy. And he'll likely look to prove that with a new team in 2022.

3. Jarrad Davis, LB, NY Jets

The Jarrad Davis signing was always one of the most curious moves general manager Joe Douglas made this offseason.

Signed to a one-year, $5.5 million contract on the first day of free agency, Douglas and the Jets coaching staff saw Davis as a day-one starter despite his struggles with the Detroit Lions.

The Jets believed that they would be able to harness Davis ' athleticism and natural gifts to help develop him into the three-down linebacker they thought he could be.

An ankle injury sidelined Davis for the first seven weeks of the season but, upon his return, he was immediately thrust into the starting lineup alongside C.J. Mosley. That experiment didn't last long, however.

The Jets quickly realized the liability that Davis was and the former Lions draft bust was benched in favor of Quincy Williams after just three games. He would spend the rest of the season as the team's third linebacker and on special teams.

Needless to say, that's not the type of production or impact the Jets were hoping for when they signed Davis. But in reality, it's probably what should have been expected.

2. Corey Davis, WR, NY Jets

The Jets made one of the more notable additions of free agency when they signed former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis to a three-year, $37.5 million contract this past offseason.

The goal was for Davis to assume the de facto WR1 role in the offense with the former top-five pick coming off the best year of his career. And there was reason to be optimistic too.

In the end, Davis played just nine games finishing with 34 catches for 492 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged just over 54 yards per game and was on pace for right around 930 yards in a 17-game season.

Now, those numbers are far from awful, but easily the most concerning part of Davis' game, and the reason he lands on this list is due to his uncharacteristic string of drops/fumbles.

Entering the year, Davis had dropped only seven passes in his prior 29 games. Yet, in just nine games in 2021, Davis saw five passes go into the stat sheet as drops. He also fumbled twice in a season for the first time in his career, again despite only playing half the year.

He established an early chemistry with Zach Wilson, but his inconsistencies ultimately prevented him from being the player the Jets hoped he would. Hopefully this will just be a one-year outlier in his career and not a sign of things to come.

1. Denzel Mims, WR, NY Jets

There was never going to be anyone else at the top of this list. Denzel Mims was the most disappointing Jets player in 2021, and it isn't particularly close.

Where to begin with Mims? The 2020 second-round pick flashed promise as a rookie and was expected to compete for a starting job in the spring/summer of 2021, but it soon became apparent that the new coaching staff didn't hold him in as high of regard.

Mims found himself playing with the backups in training camp and was buried on the depth chart to begin the season. He would eventually get his opportunities, and that's when it became painfully apparent to everyone why he was stuck so far down on the depth chart.

You could argue that there was no more ineffective player on the Jets' roster in 2021 than Mims. Despite receiving ample playing time down the stretch and playing over 25 percent of offensive snaps, Mims finished with just eight catches for 133 yards.

He went well over 100 snaps without recording a catch which feels almost impossible given what the Jets were working with at wide receiver late in the year. On top of that, his penalty-to-target ratio was among the highest in football.

Mims finished with the same number of penalties (five) as first downs. He would run the wrong routes, make boneheaded mental errors, and struggle to separate. Of 133 qualified wide receivers, PFF ranked Mims 132nd.

Not only did Denzel Mims play himself out of a starting job, but he's very likely played himself out of a roster spot altogether. And for that reason, no player had a more disappointing 2021 season than he did.