New York Jets: Jermaine Kearse injury puts spotlight on Terrelle Pryor
The spotlight is now squarely on Terrelle Pryor after the news broke that Jermaine Kearse will miss the New York Jets matchup with the Detroit Lions.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News is reporting that Jermaine Kearse will likely miss Week 1 for the New York Jets. That can only mean one thing — a bigger role for the free agent they added in the offseason, Terrelle Pryor.
After his performance against the Giants in the preseason, Jets wide receiver Terrelle Pryor cemented his spot on the roster, even after missing a bulk of training camp after ankle surgery. Prior to the Kearse injury, it may have been that Pryor ended up being the fourth receiver on the depth chart. Now, if the Jets decide to run a lot of 11 personnel, he will have to start against the Lions.
They will likely use him on the outside and pair him with Robby Anderson. Quincy Enunwa will probably play a lot of slot and could even see some pairings with Pryor in the red zone when the Jets opt to use only two receivers.
No matter how the Jets choose to deploy him, he will have a bigger role with Kearse out. Pryor will get to showcase himself, and maybe earn a permanent role as a starter with Kearse out. Missing Kearse may leave a small void in the Jets lineup, but the Jets have enough depth at that position to overcome the void.
Next. Bold predictions for 53-man roster cuts. dark
In the end, this could mean good things for both Pryor and the Jets. It would give the Jets more options upon Kearse’s return. And for Pryor, it’s a huge opportunity to show that he’s still the guy he was in 2016. Either way, the Jets offense should be better off for it in the long run.