Stephen Hill listed questionable
New York Jets wide receiver Stephen Hill (84) before the game against New Orleans Saints at Metlife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/The Star-Ledger via USA TODAY Sports
The New York Jets are set to face off against the Oakland Raiders tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see if Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith can finally have a bounce-back game. What’s working in his favor is the fact that Jeremy Kerley is finally set to return after a nasty elbow dislocation, and it’s clear to me that Kerley is the team’s best wide receiver. He isn’t as athletic as Santonio Holmes, but Kerley is much more consistent and is the Jets only reliable wideout. Also helping Smith is the fact that the Raiders don’t have the best secondary in the world, and strong safety Tyvon Branch won’t be making his return tomorrow.
He might not have Stephen Hill on the field, though, as the Jets have listed Hill questionable for tomorrow’s game. That said, Hill has been so inconsistent that it’s not a big loss by any means, and his poor play has drawn the ire of Jets head coach Rex Ryan. Hill has been an unmitigated disaster in New York ever since being drafted by the club last year, because he’s made no progress between now and his rookie season. He’s still extremely raw, frustratingly inconsistent, drop prone, and has only a rudimentary understanding of route-running in the pros.
But despite all of these negatives that have made Hill a terrible performer in the Jets offense thus far, there’s still hope that he can turn things around due to his great size-speed combination and wealth of athletic talent. There’s upside with Hill, but Ryan and the Jets seem to be losing their patience. He’s not going to be ousted from the Jets for another season, because they have to give the raw receiver out of Georgia Tech at least three years to develop despite his struggles.
Hill is listed questionable with a knee injury, and that’s nothing new for the former second-round pick. Expect him to be a game-time decision tomorrow, and he probably won’t be a factor even if he is active. I mean, Hill has just one reception for two yards over the past month.