When the New York Jets drafted Jalen Saunders in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, I thought they picked up a steal, as Saunders has joystick agility and exceptional short-area quickness as one of the most underrated prospects in a stacked WR draft class. Unfortunately, Saunders was unable to stick with the Jets, and they missed out on the chance to have the kind of YAC playmaker to pair up with Eric Decker, who fits as a traditional outside wide receiver with his ability to run precise routes and break free over the top.
According to FOX Sports’s Jay Glazer, the Jets have acquired star wide receiver Percy Harvin from the Seattle Seahawks for a conditional draft pick, meaning that they have acquired the player they would have hoped Saunders would become under the best-case scenario. It also means that they actually have a playmaker besides Decker in the passing attack, as Decker was previously trying to shoulder the load all by himself. Talented TE Jace Amaro has looked good thus far, but he isn’t polished yet (he’s farther along than expected, though) and isn’t a true playmaker.
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Harvin, however, could be exactly what the Jets offense needs. Even though he isn’t really that good at getting open and still doesn’t understand the nuances of the position, he doesn’t need to. He’s a minimal effort WR for quarterbacks, because as long as he’s open, it’s an easy throw that can yield a big gain. As we’ve seen on countless occasions, Harvin is arguably the NFL’s most explosive wideout, and those little bubble screens have a tendency to become huge pick-ups for the offense.
From a schematic perspective, having a Harvin-like player makes an awful lot of sense for the Jets, and this move could be a shrewd one for former Seahawks front office man John Idzik if the pick he spent is low enough. Idzik is an overly cautious GM, but, as we saw with the Decker move, he is willing to make a splash if it’s clear that he desperately needs to make an upgrade. While he bucked that at cornerback, he made a second strong move at the wide receiver position, though some will look at this move as a huge attempt from him to try and save his job; Idzik is definitely on the hot seat.
Could Harvin be the spark that lights a fire under Geno Smith and the Jets offense? The rushing attack sure as hell has enough talent with Chris Ivory leading away, and now it’s clear that the passing attack has enough weapons. With Harvin in the fold, there’s no excuse for Geno, so any more failure on his part will make it clear that he’s at fault and that the Jets need to part ways with him. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, however, will be tasked with finding a way to put Harvin into the offense, but any NFL OC should be able to figure out how to use one of the game’s most explosive receivers, especially when he’s superior to the non-Decker options.
Decker can draw coverage to the outside of the field, open things up for the offense, and, as we saw last night against Darrelle Revis, win more battles against top corners than some people would like to think (the guy gets too much hate). Harvin can be a great foil for Decker as the more underneath wrinkle in the offense, generating mis-matches and forcing defenses to keep an eye on him. The Jets wanted to utilize Chris Johnson as an explosive player in space on passing plays, but they realized he isn’t good enough. Harvin is, though, and they do have a role for him; it’s the role they seemingly had envisioned for Saunders when he was drafted in the fourth round.
I think there’s plenty of risk in this deal, but it only exists if the Jets sent a significant enough pick to the Seahawks, and this is something we’ll have to watch for. The financial commitment isn’t light, especially since Harvin is an injury-prone player and the kind of piece that fits a contender better than a weak, rebuilding team. But the Jets aren’t completely bereft of talent either, and adding Harvin is one step towards building an offense that has some talent. If they figure Geno isn’t the answer, then their next quarterback will have two talented wide receivers with differing skill-sets to choose from, and those different skill-sets could make Harvin an ideal fit. The rest of the pass-catchers are chain-moving role players of a variety of skill levels such as TE Jeff Cumberland, the steady Jeremy Kerley, and the ho-hum David Nelson.
Again, this move isn’t without risk, but Percy Harvin brings the kind of explosiveness, excitement, and playmaking ability that finally gives the Jets a new dimension to the offense and could make them more exciting. But now, it’s totally up to Smith and Mornhinweg to make the Jets decision to acquire him worth it, and their own futures could be affected by this move, even if Idzik is the one who is most directly on the hook for this trade. Based on the Saunders signing and the brief CJ-as-a- receiver foray, I’d wager that the Jets already have a nice set of plans in mind for their new toy.