New York Jets: Eric Decker Needs Help

Eric Decker was a good signing for the Jets. Upon signing he instantly became the best wide receiver the Jets have had in years. Given how thin the team was at wide receiver, adding a high quality target like Decker is a huge boost. It isn't enough, though.

The receiver position was so thin that one player could not fix all of the problems. If you're at -10 and need to get to 0 adding 7 makes you better but still leaves you in negative territory. The Jets need to do more at receiver because Decker alone is not enough.

Last year the Jets had nobody another team had to focus on taking away. Now they do. Decker is a guy capable of drawing attention and extra defenders to create one on ones for other receivers. The problem is there still are no receivers capable of winning those one on ones outside of maybe Jeremy Kerley. And for all of Kerley's fanfare, let's be honest. He's a nice move the chains guy out of the slot, but he can't carry a big load. He is a complimentary piece averaging around 50 catches and 630 yards per 16 games played. Useful third down guy? Absolutely. Capable of taking the heat off Decker? It seems like a stretch.

The Jets really need to take the heat off Decker because he will struggle to be productive if he is drawing double teams all day long. He isn't a force of nature like Josh Gordon or Calvin Johnson. Those guys will get their stats even if you do everything possible to eliminate them. Decker is a very fine receiver, but he probably needs somebody across from him to draw coverage away and keep defenses honest.

So if we are talking about things the Jets need to do before the start of the season either via Draft, trade, or remaining free agents finding Decker better compliments is probably near the top of the list. Right now Stephen Hill is slated to hold a starting role. That is not a great scenario.