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The Jets aren't considered as having one of the top wide receiver units around the league, but have some promising top-end talent. However, there are roles available further down the depth chart …

Projected Starters: Robby Anderson, Quincy Enunwa, Jamison Crowder
Projected Backups: Deontay Burnett, Josh Bellamy, Charone Peake
On the Bubble: Greg Dortch, Quadree Henderson, Jeff Smith, Deonte Thompson, JJ Jones, Tim White
Departures: Andre Roberts, Jermaine Kearse, Rishard Matthews, Terrelle Pryor

The Rundown

The Jets will be hoping that each of their top three receivers plays a big role in 2019, as they seek to build their offense around quarterback Sam Darnold. While none of them have had a thousand-yard season before, each of their top three receivers has been close to that level of production.

If any of the three is most likely to break out in 2019, it's Robby Anderson, who played his best football of last season down the stretch. Head coach Adam Gase has already indicated he expects big things from Anderson, who is now entering what could be a career year.

Quincy Enunwa was productive at the start of last year, but injuries slowed down his production in the second half. Even so, he was rewarded with a new contract at the end of the season.

The Jets also gave Jamison Crowder a big contract in free agency and he is expected to be the primary slot receiver. Crowder also had some injury issues in 2018, which led to the least productive season of his career so far.

After impressing down the stretch in his rookie season, Darnold's former college teammate Deontay Burnett has a good chance at being the number four. He can also contribute from the slot.

The remaining spots could all come down to special teams. Josh Bellamy, another offseason pickup, and Charone Peake, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal, will compete with running back Trenton Cannon to earn a role as a punt gunner. It's likely that at least one of them will be on the final roster.

Most of the other receivers - JJ Jones, Tim White, Quadree Henderson and rookie Greg Dortch - could compete for the return specialist role. That would be their most likely route to earning a spot.

Undrafted rookie Jeff Smith has tremendous speed, but he will have to develop his receiving skillset to prove himself worthy of a roster or practice squad spot. Then again, that's not unlike the position Anderson found himself in at camp in his rookie year. Finally, recent addition Deonte Thompson brings some much-needed experience to the group.

Biggest question heading into camp

The Jets feel pretty good that each of their top three receivers will be productive as long as they remain healthy. What if they miss time, though?

Durability is going to be a concern throughout the season, especially with the unproven nature of the team's depth beyond their top three. Anderson, Enunwa and Crowder combined to miss 14 games last season, so the Jets may need their reserves to contribute.

If any of these players misses significant time, the Jets will be relying on their reserves to step up and if they lose more than one of them, the receiving group will begin to look extremely thin.

Outlook

How successful the Jets receivers are in 2019 will depend heavily on whether Gase's creativity can unlock their full potential. For most of 2018, Anderson was primarily running go-routes and Enunwa was catching a lot of short passes, but Gase recognizes that each of them has the ability to be more than just a one-dimensional threat.

Gase hopes that Enunwa will be less likely to get hurt if he's not constantly catching short passes and fighting for extra yardage after the catch. However, when he had Jarvis Landry in Miami, their offense threw him a high volume of short passes. It's possible Crowder will see more of those in Gase's offense, though.

As for Anderson, he already showed that there's more to him than just a deep threat when he responded well to a more varied workload down the stretch. Hopefully, Gase can build on that and continue to develop the burgeoning chemistry between Darnold and Anderson.

As for the other receivers that end up on the roster, there isn't much star potential there, but there are a few guys who can make contributions if required.

Depending how creative Gase gets, perhaps the Jets won't need many contributions from their reserves anyway. With most of their running backs capable of producing out wide or in the slot and tight end Chris Herndon also able to produce from the slot, there may not be many reps available for the fourth and fifth receiver. Special teams contributions will therefore be critical.

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