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The Pittsburgh Steelers are ready to move on from wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Should the Jets have interest, or would it be a waste of money?
Sanders is a free agent.
“I think they will let Sanders leave in free agency for a number of reasons and are perfectly comfortable thinking Markus Wheaton will not only replace him, but also be a much better receiver,” said long-time Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Their intent is to take a tall receiver early — they have already indicated that to Ben Roethlisberger — another indication that Sanders will be gone.”
According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the Jets intend of pursuing Sanders.
“The Daily News has learned that the Jets covet free agent wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and Emmanuel Sanders with the hope that one or both can help revamp the league’s 31st-ranked passing offense from last season,” wrote Mehta recently.
First of all, how did Mehta find out who the Jets covet?
GM John Idzik is as close to the vest as any executive I’ve ever covered.
So it’s hard to fathom that he, or anybody who works under him, would reveal their plan.
But regardless of the sourcing of this story, it just doesn’t seem like a good business decision to spend big money on this player.
First of all, if he was such a different-maker, the Steelers wouldn’t let him walk without much effort to re-sign him.
The Steelers brass feel this is a quarterback-driven league, they feel if you draft well, they can go with the next man up at receiver.
They did it last year, letting Mike Wallace walk for big money in Miami, and replacing him with Antonio Brown, a former sixth round pick, who had a big year. Brown was a sixth round pick out of Central Michigan in 2010. If you have a good scouting department, you can find receivers. You don’t need to break the bank in free agency.
And now this year, they are going to let Sanders walk, and replace him with Wheaton, who they picked last year in the third round out of Oregon State.
Look, Sanders is clearly a decent player. He had 67 catches last year to go along with six touchdowns.
But you can find 5-11, 180 pound receivers who can put up those numbers throughout the draft. They are a dime a dozen.
And plus, you have to be concerned with Sanders durability. Just look at him. He’s skinny.
“Sanders has less-than-adequate bulk,” according to one scouting report. “He struggles to beat the press off the line. He will not out-muscle defensive backs for jump balls and is not a red-zone target.”
Sanders isn’t a number one receiver. He’s complimentary player.
Look, if the Jets can get him for a reasonable price, he’s certainly worth adding to the mix, but there is no reason to spend big money on this kind of player.
The best receiver in the last draft was Keenan Allen of the San Diego Chargers and he was picked in the third round. The Cal-Berkeley product had 71 catches and 8 touchdowns.
You can find receivers.
That is how teams like Pittsburgh, New England, Green Bay and the like feel about the position.
The Jets could add a Marqise Cole (USC) in the first round, a Odell Beckham (LSU) in the second round, a Robert Herron (Wyoming) in the third round, a Bruce Ellington (Clemson) in the fourth round, if they are looking for a player cut from the mold of Sanders. My point if there are plenty of “Emanuel Sanders” in this draft.
Or they could get a comparable player in free agency for less money.
People are so fast to rip the Jets receivers, and blame them for the passing game woes.
But as we have pointed out over and over, the quarterback’s accuracy and decision-making must improve. If that happens, all of sudden the receiver play magically won’t be as much of a problem.
You can find receivers.
Especially if you have a true answer at quarterback, and that remains to be seen about Geno Smith.
Spending good money on Sanders seems like fool’s good.
February 17, 2014
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