Can Brandon Marshall find redemption with New York Jets?

By Brian Spaen | May 29, 2015

Last season, New York Jets receiver Brandon Marshall suffered injuries and had his lowest production since coming into the NFL. Will getting healthy and a change of scenery help him rebound? Perhaps a connection with a new teammate will help him get there.

Marshall spent the last three seasons of his nine-year career with the Chicago Bears. He reunited with quarterback Jay Cutler in 2012 and recorded the most receiving yards in a season (1,508) so far in his career along with 11 touchdowns. He had another 1,000+ yard season and another touchdown the following year.

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Those statistics dropped significantly in 2014. Marshall didn’t play in the last three games and was held to under 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since his rookie season (721). An ankle injury hindered him throughout the season, always sending fantasy owners to the injury outlook to see if he would go nearly each week. Ultimately, broken ribs and a collapsed lung ended the ninth season.

There was also concerns of Marshall not getting enough targets, which was once noted by former head coach Marc Trestman at a press conference after Week 5. The receiver called out Cutler in the locker room following a loss to the Miami Dolphins after Week 7. He was targeted 10 times in the loss, the most since Week 1, and consistently saw that amount with the exception of two games at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5) and Dallas Cowboys (4).

However, that’s all behind Marshall now. He was traded to the Jets on March 10th along with a seventh round pick in exchange for a fifth round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Marshall told Brian Costello of the New York Post that he was feeling great in his recovery during the offseason this week, and had a humbling moment about looking at football as a veteran entering his 10th year.

"I really feel like I’m better now than I’ve ever been,” Marshall said Wednesday. “There’s the physical part, feeling healthy. … Now I’m starting to see the game differently being older and having a lot of experience. Having all of that working for me and going against those guys every single day, I’m excited about doing my job this year.”"

Part of the comeback process could be aided by Jets quarterback Geno Smith. Marshall moved in with Smith after being traded, but this wasn’t the first time they’ve been together. They worked out together in Florida earlier in the offseason and first met a couple years ago.

There’s still the question of if Smith will even be the starter for the Jets. This week, Matt Simms dropped out of a battle among Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and rookie Bryce Petty. In a report from Kevin Patra of NFL.com, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey essentially said that it’s Smith’s job to lose as he’ll be receiving first-team reps in practice.

"“Just like every other position starter starting first team, if he’s playing well he’s the starter, if he’s not playing well and somebody is playing better, as is any other position, somebody else is going to play.”"

Smith will have the burden of trying to win over Jets fan and overcome much of the criticism during his first two years under center. He’ll also have the key to Marshall’s success. If it doesn’t pan out, who knows how willing Marshall will be in playing with another quarterback considering how much bonding there is with Smith.

Next: Jets: Expectations for Zac Stacy

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