Jets 2023 Position Breakdown: Could this be one of the best receiver groups Aaron Rodgers has ever played with?

Heading into the 2023 season, the Jets have made a series of moves to improve the state of their roster and overall depth, but are they ready to compete for a playoff spot? 

In this series, we’ll break down the depth chart for every position group. This time, we’ll go in-depth on the wide receivers…

Projected depth chart 

Projected depth chart

Starter: Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman (slot)

Backups: Corey Davis, Randall Cobb and Denzel Mims

Key additions/losses: Signed Lazard, Hardman and Cobb in free agency, traded Elijah Moore, let Braxton Berrios and Jeff Smith leave in free agency

Top Performer in 2022: Wilson with 83 receptions, 1,103 yards and four touchdowns

2022 ranking via PFF: Wilson 12th (out of 79 qualifiers).

What Jets’ wide receivers have going for them

Wilson’s rookie of the year campaign made him the first Jets thousand-yard receiver since 2015 and he may just be scratching the surface in terms of his full potential. If he can establish himself as the number one receiver with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, Wilson could put up some huge numbers and become one of the elite receivers in the league.

The three free agent additions give the Jets a deep receiving group with a diverse combination of skills. Lazard and Cobb represent two of Rodgers’ favorite targets from his Packers days so he’ll have good chemistry with them. Lazard has excellent size, while Cobb is more of a possession receiver that can contribute out of the slot. Hardman can add another dimension to the offense with jet sweeps and gadget plays but he’s a productive receiver in his own right and the Jets believe they can unlock some untapped potential by expanding his role.

Veteran Corey Davis is almost a forgotten man, but he’s been productive when healthy over the past few seasons. If he can stay on the field, the Jets will find ways to add him into the mix.

Key concern for 2023: Finding a way to get everyone involved

The benefit of a deep receiving group is that you’re well equipped to cope when injuries arise. However, the Jets experienced the downside last year. It was difficult to get everyone enough targets to keep them happy, with two players requesting a trade because they felt underused.

With Rodgers tasked with spreading the ball around rather than Zach Wilson, the Jets will hopefully have more success in getting everyone involved and ensuring everyone feels valued.

Player who must step up in 2023: Mims

Mims, a second-round pick back in 2020, is on the last year of his rookie deal and his last chance to make an impression with the Jets. He’s been a major disappointment over the past two seasons and might struggle to even make the 53-man roster if he doesn’t perform well in camp and preseason. It doesn’t help his chances that he hasn’t been able to contribute on special teams.

Should Mims fail to make the team, other players competing for a spot on the roster or practice squad include the four undrafted free agents they brought in. The other candidates for a role are Irvin Charles, Malik Taylor and Diontae Spencer, all of whom do contribute on special teams.

Biggest camp battle: Lazard vs. Hardman vs. Davis

Wilson looks set to be the number one receiver, but who will be the number two option? They are all capable of decent statistical production. Lazard caught a career-high 60 passes last season while Hardman caught a career-high 59 passes in 2021 but missed a lot of time last season. Davis was almost a thousand-yard receiver in 2020, but – as noted – has struggled to stay on the field in his two years as a Jet.

The Jets may hope that any one of these players will be capable of stepping up in any given week, which would allow them to feed the hot hand and look for the most favorable matchups.

Overall 2023 outlook

Jets fans should be excited about this group, but Rodgers might be even more excited to work with them. He’s reportedly been upset with the weapons at his disposal over the past few seasons, even though he reunited with some of them on the Jets.

The Jets needed to give Rodgers everything he wanted in order to lure him to the team and guarantee he’d buy in completely. They’ve made every effort to do that and early signs are looking promising that they’ll have a multi-dimensional passing game in 2023.