New York Jets David Nelson performing well at practice

The New York Jets have a number of depth chart battles going on at the wide receiver position, as the only thing settled is Eric Decker’s place as the team’s top wideout. Most of the passing attack will run through him, but the Jets have a host of other guys champing at the bit. It looks like the top three is settled with Decker and veterans Jeremy Kerley and David Nelson, as Rich Cimini of ESPN New York reports that he “should be” one of the team’s top three wideouts. Nelson figures to be behind Decker and Kerley, but he could work himself into the No. 2 WR gig if all goes well.

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I think the hierarchy is going to safely be Decker, Kerley, and then Nelson, but I was hoping for Jalen Saunders to work his way into the WR3 gig. He has a unique skill-set to this team with plenty of agility, but he should still be a versatile weapon when he gets on the field as a WR4 or 5. It remains to be seen what his role is, though, because he’s sitting on the sidelines after a “medical event” led to a single-car accident that caused him to miss the preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals as a precaution.

The Jets WR position remains far from settled, but it’s good to see Cimini tweet that Nelson is “having a great practice”. Last season, the former Buffalo Bills wideout hauled in 36 passes for 423 yards, and he’s clearly doing a better job than Stephen Hill, who flashed earlier in the offseason before reverting to his old self with ghastly drops. Hill is too inconsistent to be counted on, and I’d much rather roster Saunders and Greg Salas (Shaq Evans underwent surgery today and figures to get hit with the “redshirt”, so his season is most likely done). Nelson, on the other hand, is very consistent, and he and Kerley (working out of the slot) should be reliable targets for Geno Smith, who also has TE Jeff Cumberland in the middle of the field.