Santonio Holmes not expected to play

New York Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes (10) looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of a preseason game at Metlife Stadium. The Jets won 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

New York Jets No. 1 WR Santonio Holmes probably won’t be the No. 1 WR much longer with the way both he and Jeremy Kerley seem to be trending, and Holmes remains one of the most frustrating players in the game. He has plenty of talent, but he never seems to care or be able to consistently put together that talent. He’s also suffered several injuries lately, and he has been slow to heal on all of them. The New York Post’s Brian Costello reports that the Jets “don’t expect” Santonio Holmes to play against the Cincinnati Bengals this week, and the timing of this report is extremely interesting.

Holmes suffered a hamstring injury in Week 4, and the 29-year-old hasn’t played since. However, he did start to practice this week, so it’s interesting to see that Holmes still isn’t expected to play despite getting back on the practice field. The Jets have a bye week in Week 9 before facing a division rival in the Buffalo Bills the week after, so maybe the fact that there is a bye week coming up is incentive for Holmes to take another week off and rest up through the bye.

There is little doubt that Holmes continues to be a disappointment, and it’s come to the point where Jets fans are no longer disappointed by his lack of production or inability to get on the field; their expectations are just that low at this point. Still, he is averaging 60 yards per game this season, so the talent does have a knack for showing up in spurts. But consistency is key at the WR position, and the majority of his receiving yards this season came in one game, against extremely weak competition.

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