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New Jersey – The Jets release of Dri Archer isn’t going to make a lot of waves, but it does make you think about what the Jets are going to do in a certain area . . .
The Jets waived Dri Archer and claimed tight end Jerome Cunningham off waivers.
Why would the Jets release Archer so quickly?
Believe me, it was nothing he did from a football standpoint. They haven’t even practiced yet this spring. They claimed TE Jerome Cunningham off waivers from the Giants, and they needed a roster spot. That is it. This isn’t any kind of indictment on Archer, who was claimed by the Bills. Personnel decision this time of year are mostly guesswork, fantasy football. How can truly determine the ability of football players when they aren’t playing any football right now.
The release of WR Joe Anderson last week was cruel and unusual. One of the hardest workers you will ever see, he didn’t even get to show his wares. Neither did guard/tackle Sean Hickey or tight end Adrian Robinson. I’m not putting Archer, Anderson, Robinson or Hickey in Canton, but as far as I’m concerned, at least let a guy get out on the field for a two or three weeks, and show what he can do playing football. Whatever.
The reason I want to focus on Archer today is the Jets’ return game.
A big reason Archer was signed was to help the Jets’ return game which was disappointing last year.
The shifty Archer, who ran the second fast forty time in the history of the combine (4.26), was expected to infuse some speed and explosiveness into their return game.
So where do they turn from here?
Well, they did sign Jeromy Ross a couple of weeks ago. He’s a seasoned returner with stops in New England, Indianapolis, Green Bay, Detroit, Baltimore and Oakland.
But here is another guy to keep an eye on, a player I think the Jets stole as an undrafted free agent after the draft – Ohio State’s Jalin Marshall.
He was a five-star recruit for the Buckeyes, who probably didn’t realize his enormous potential on Columbus due to the fact that Ohio State isn’t much of a passing team, so unless you are a top option in the passing game, you aren’t going to see the rock very often. And their quarterback play hasn’t been great.
And when a team is as talented as Ohio State (15 players drafted), some guys are going to fall through the cracks a little. That program is loaded.
This guy is a good football player, and don’t be shocked if he becomes a factor in the Jets’ return game in 2016.
He’s shifty as a 10-speed clutch. He has really loose hips, which allow him to change directions like a joy stick.
His speed is just pedestrian. He ran a 4.6 at the combine and 4.68 at his Pro Day. But he definitely plays faster than that, and honestly so much of returning is about shiftiness and making people in the open field, and this guy gets high marks in this area.
There were some issues on a couple occasions with ball security, so this is something he needs to work on.
Don’t view him as an undrafted free agent. Look at him more like a fourth or fifth-round pick. That is his value.
And most certainly when the Jets released Archer prematurely, they had Marshall in mind as a fallback option.
May 10, 2016
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