Jets 2022 Make or Break players: Is Corey Davis a big part of Gang Green's future?

NFL training camp starts at the end of July, which means players around the league are getting their last bits of offseason work in before the real work of trying to make the roster begins.

For certain players, this season is what some may call "make or break," meaning they need to put together a productive year or they could be looking for employment elsewhere at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

We’ll highlight those players for the Jets, starting with wide receiver Corey Davis.

2021 Stats (9 games, 9 starts)

• 34 receptions (59 targets)
• 492 yards (14.5 ypc)
• 4 TD
• 57.6 catch percentage

Why Make or Break?

Davis is entering the second year of a three-year, $45 million contract, but the Jets will be able to save $10 million in cap space if they release him next season, so he’ll need a more consistent season to convince the Jets he’s worth keeping despite the cost.

With the recent additions the Jets have made to their receiver group, there will be plenty of competition for targets, so the Jets are not necessarily going to be relying on Davis to produce as much as they were last season. However, an improved passing game overall could create more opportunities for Davis to produce and establish himself as one of the go-to guys on offense.

What will break it?

Davis had been pretty durable with the Tennessee Titans, missing just three games in his previous three seasons. However, injuries caused him to miss eight games last season. After a productive start, he suffered a hip injury in October and missed two games. After returning, he suffered a groin injury in his second game back. He tried to return from that injury two weeks later and aggravated it. Davis was eventually placed on injured reserve and had season-ending core muscle surgery in December.

If Davis can’t stay on the field again next year, it will be difficult for him to generate the kind of production that will justify his high salary. He could also lose ground in the competition for reps and targets.

Even when he did play, Davis let himself down last year with some uncharacteristic dropped passes, including one in each of the first five games. A review of the film shows that none of these were easy drops, but he is a player who has been able to come up with contested catches or adjust to inaccurate throws in the past, so he’ll need to show more consistent hands in the upcoming season.

What will make it?

Despite the disappointments of last season, Davis had some good moments. In Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers, he had two touchdowns and ended the game with 97 yards on five catches. Three weeks later, he helped the Jets to a win over his former teammates in Tennessee with a 100-yard game that included a memorable long touchdown catch on a Zach Wilson deep pass. After the first month, he was actually on track to post a 1,000-yard season.

He certainly has had that potential in the past. He fell just 16 yards short of that mark in 2020 despite missing a couple of games. It would be ironic if the Jets, having spent the entire offseason looking into trading for a receiver with 1,000-yard potential, could get that kind of production from a player they had on the roster all along.

Davis is one of the veteran leaders on offense and his words will obviously carry more weight if he’s producing. If he can reestablish his early-season chemistry with Wilson, then Davis could fall back into a role where the younger receivers like Elijah Moore and Garrett Wilson can look up to him and Davis can pass the torch over the next season or two.

With the way wide receiver contracts exploded during the offseason, a bounce-back season from Davis could mean that his contract starts to look like a bargain rather than an albatross. That’s what the Jets and Davis will be hoping for.