Greg Salas: 2014 and Beyond

Greg Salas registered only 8 receptions in 2014. He ran 134 routes. This shows he is not particularly adept at beating coverage.

What happened on those 8 receptions is somewhat notable. It is a small sample size, but he averaged 14.6 yards running after the catch. That was best in the league according to Pro Football Focus. It isn't even close among players with at least 8 catches. Number two comes in at 10 yards even. Salas also took his one rushing attempt on the season for 20 yards. While the touches are too limited to make any definitive statements, the possibility exists that Salas could add some juice to an offense used properly.

At 26, Salas is what he is as a wide receiver. It probably is not going to happen for him as a conventional wideout. The Jets do get 90 training camp slots, though. Why not use one of them to try Salas out in a different role? Move him around and make an effort to get him the ball in space. Stick him in the slot. Line him up in the backfield. Bring him in motion. Throw him screens. Get it to him on sweeps. See whether he might have a future as a movable chess piece, getting the ball a few times per game and possibly breaking something. His salary is going to be so low that he will be a bargain if he can contribute at all. If this experiment does not work in camp (a very real possibility) he can be painlessly cut.

I think an important part of developing players is understanding what they can and cannot do and then finding the proper role for them. Salas seems miscast as a conventional receiver. As a regular weapon, the future might not be bright, but he might have enough skill to carve out some sort of niche as an NFL player.