Clyde Gates: Stay or Go?

When the Jets brought in Clyde Gates, it was another case where Tony Sparano's recommendation likely had something to do with it. The Dolphins selected Gates in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft while Sparano was their head coach. Sparano coached him for part of that rookie year.

Gates proved to be another case study in the anti-Midas touch Sparano had with the Jets. The team searched for diamonds in the rough to give the team quality depth. Clyde proved to not be that. He only had 16 catches for 224 yards. His 40 time in the 4.3 range allowed him to get occasional separation on deep routes, but his sloppy route running led to incompletions and interceptions while limiting his production. Like pretty much every receiver on the roster, there was an opening to claim a starting job, and Gates never took it.

Despite this, I think Gates should be back in training camp. There really is no reason for him not to get a shot. He is making a shade over half a million dollars, and none of it is guaranteed. The Jets can cut him in preseason and lose nothing. He clearly has blazing speed. Maybe the Jets can refine his game with an entire offseason to do so. It is unlikely, but it will not cost the team anything. His speed also makes him a potential prospect in the return game.