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Two personnel scenarios that I find intriguing.
Why is Mecole Hardman not playing on offense?
Why is Randall Cobb playing a lot and Hardman isn’t?
Hardman got a one-year contract for $4 million in the spring. He was signed right around the time the Jets traded disgruntled wide receiver Elijah Moore to the Cleveland Browns, so clearly one move was made with the other in mind.
The thinking clearly was Hardman could replace Moore in the slot and as a gadget player on jet sweeps and bubble screens. Hardman, a former University of Georgia five-star recruit, who played his first four years in Kansas City, where he won two Super Bowls, has world-class speed, and can take a top off a defense.
Why is he riding the pine?
Clearly Cobb is in front of him, but why? Cobb is still a solid player, and has made some plays for the Jets, but why would you bury Hardman behind him?
Cobb clearly signed with the Jets at the behest of Aaron Rodgers. The two were long-time Green Bay Packers teammates and are very close friends.
But Rodgers is out for the season with a torn Achilles, suffered four plays into the Jets opening drive of the season against the Buffalo Bills.
So if Cobb is in Florham Park, partly because Rodgers wanted him there, why would you play him over Hardman, with Rodgers out of the picture?
Are they still doing this for Rodgers even though he isn’t playing?
Don’t get me wrong, Cobb is still a solid player, but why would you bury a guy like Hardman on the bench who is seven years younger, and has much better speed?
At least have them split time.
Since they won’t play him, the Jets should consider trading Hardman before the NFL’s October 31 trade deadline. After watching the Chiefs Sunday night, don’t they look like they could use Hardman back? It seems like Patrick Mahomes doesn’t have much trust in his receiving targets aside from Travis Kelce.
And the Jets have two young receivers ready to get on the field in Xavier Gipson and Jason Brownlee. If they stay healthy at receiver, a Hardman trade would make sense, if they continue to bury him behind the 33-year-old Cobb.
Another personnel situation worthy of analysis is why Dalvin Cook is taking carries away from Breece Hall.
Hall has been the more effective runner all year, yet they continue to platoon, taking carries away from Hall. Not saying Hall should be a workhorse coming off a knee injury last year, but he probably needs more carries than he’s getting.
But with Cook on the team, and after paying him decent money on a one-year contract, he’s clearly going to be out there splitting carries with Hall.
Cook is another guy they should consider trading at the deadline if they have a bad record at the end of October.
Maybe send him back to Minnesota, his former team that really misses him.
Hall has to be seething inside over not getting more carries, considering how well he’s doing on the carries he gets. And the signing of Cook, cost the Jets Bam Knight, who they cut at the final cutdown, since Cook was signed in August. Knight is now on the Detroit Lions.
Clearly Hall deserves more carries.
October 2, 2023
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