It took new Jets WR Breshad Perriman until his fourth NFL season to finally put up solid numbers on the stat sheet. Being a former first-round pick, it hasn't been what he expected.
But following a 2019 season that saw all career-highs, Perriman isn't holding back his expectations for 2020 with his latest team in New York.
"I have no doubt in my mind that it will definitely be a season to remember for me, as far as production-wise," Perriman told NJ.com's Darryl Slater. "I'm just really excited for the opportunities that I will get, just being in a bigger role."
The Jets are definitely hoping that's the case because Perriman is taking the role of Robby Anderson. And what Anderson was very good at was spreading the field for the Jets -- something their offense needs to function at its best.
Anderson was Sam Darnold's deep ball threat, and more often than not, he was hauling in passes at least 15-20 yards down the field as he used his speed to break away from his defender.
Luckily, Perriman has that same speed.
"I bring a lot of speed, a lot of big-play-making ability to this team," he said. "...I still have that same speed that I had coming from college. I don't think I really lost a step at all."
Perriman showcased that speed with Jameis Winston throwing bombs to him downfield last season with the Bucs. Winston ended up leading the NFL in passing yards because of his knack for letting it fly, and Perriman -- who wasn't even the No. 1 option down in Tampa Bay with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin also there -- reaped the benefits. He had 645 yards on 36 receptions (69 targets) and six touchdowns.
But the Jets don't have that kind of supporting cast in their building. Yes, they should be bringing in a receiver through the NFL Draft, but who knows if that will pan out? Jamison Crowder, then, is the next-best option in the receiving game while Quincy Enunwa is a big if, and players like Vyncint Smith and Josh Doctson are shots in the dark.
If Perriman can work well with Darnold from the outset, it would kick-start the Jets' offense into what head coach Adam Gase would love to see. Spreading the field allows Le'Veon Bell to get more holes with the defense guessing on its heels as to what the Jets are trying to do. And it will also open up areas for Crowder and tight ends Ryan Griffin and Chris Herndon to get open in the middle of the field.
But Perriman is going to need to back up his words of proving his skeptics wrong -- that last season wasn't just a fluke. He's still looking to prove he's a first-round talent, and at age 26, he's ready to simply look at it as a late bloom.
"I think that was just a sneak peek of what's to come for this season -- and many other seasons past this season," he said.
We'll see if he lives up to that hype. For the Jets' sake, he has to.