NY Jets Spotlight: Brandon Marshall

Welcome to the Jets Spotlight. Here we spotlight one key player for each game of the season, hopefully putting a different player in the spotlight each week. Today's player in the spotlight is Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Marshall should be able to take advantage of a favorable matchup in Cleveland this week.

Brandon Marshall is a 6' 4", 225 pound wide receiver in his 11th season out of Central Florida University. Marshall was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 119th selection in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He was acquired by the New York Jets prior to the 2015 season in a trade with the Chicago Bears for a 5th round draft pick.

Brandon Marshall is, simply put, one of the great wide receivers of his time, and one of the greatest in Jets history. Marshall has eight 1000-yard receiving years in his illustrious career, to go along with four double-digit touchdown seasons. He ranks sixth among active players in receptions, fifth in receiving yards, and third in receiving touchdowns.  Marshall is one of the few Jets likely headed to the NFL Hall of Fame upon retirement. Big, strong, tough, and savvy, Marshall is a matchup nightmare for NFL cornerbacks and can be relied upon to consistently win 50/50 balls.

Here are Brandon Marshall's NFL statistics:

Brandon Marshall has been suffering through a down year in 2016. He injured his foot early in the season and has not been fully healthy since. Marshall also has had a bad case of the dropsies in 2016, resulting in a career low 44% catch rate on his targets. Nonetheless Marshall is still on pace to register his ninth 1000-yard season.

If there ever was a game to cure what ails Marshall this year, Sunday's matchup with the Cleveland Browns would seem to fit the bill. The Browns have fielded an atrocious pass defense in 2016. They have yielded opponents the fourth most receiving yards in the NFL, the second most receiving touchdowns, the second most yards per pass attempt, and the second highest passer rating. In seven games, the Browns have allowed seven different receivers to go for 100 yards or more. There will be no better matchup all year for Marshall to shine against.

With Eric Decker out for the season and Ryan Fitzpatrick struggling right along with Brandon Marshall, the game against Cleveland represents a welcome breather for the Jets offense. The Browns have yielded 25 points or more on defense in every game this season, and have yielded 270 or more passing yards in six out of seven games.

On Sunday, Brandon Marshall has a great opportunity to shake off his season-long struggles and dominate the way he has in the past. He has an opportunity against one of the worst defenses in the NFL to take over a game. With a chance to begin to climb out of the deep hole the Jets' terrible start to the season has created, there can be no better time than now for Brandon Marshall to flash his Hall of Fame form and claim the spotlight on Sunday.

Brandon Marshall, this is what you were made to do. This is your time to shine bright. Time to put together one of your  magnificent performances. Time to put the Jets on your back and carry them to victory against the Browns. Enjoy the spotlight Brandon Marshall. May you shine brightly on Sunday.