Going into 2016, almost all of the focus on the Jets' offense was on the continued performances of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. While the signing of Matt Forte also made a lot of buzz, people were looking at Decker and Marshall to help carry the offense throughout the season. However, one man has shaken up the whole dynamic of the offense, for the better.
Enter Quincy Enunwa, former sixth round pick out of Nebraska. The 6'2", 225-pound receiver played in 12 games in his rookie year, racking up 315 yards. Naturally, there was very little coverage on Enunwa coming into his second season.
With the Jets shaping out to be very thin at TE though, Enunwa was named as the third receiver by Todd Bowles. In his first start of the year, Enunwa had a solid performance Week 1, catching seven balls for 54 yards and a touchdown. These stats may seem modest, but it was enough to outperform both Decker and Marshall in terms of yardage. He provided a much-needed spark for the team, but it wasn't enough, as the Jets lost 23-22 to the Bengals.
Then week two came, and Quincy balled out. In what was a sorely needed win for the Jets, Enunwa posted up 92 yards on six receptions. What was most impressive about his performance though was his ability to convert first downs. Four of his six receptions moved the chains, one of them being the best ball thrown by Fitzpatrick, a 34-yard beauty to Enunwa near the sideline.
With Enunwa producing two straight weeks of sound results, it's time to think about what he can do for the Jets. Being that Decker and Marshall are the two primary wideout targets, Enunwa gives them a flexible, TE/WR hybrid that Fitzpatrick can look to whenever Decker and Marshall are covered. By being able to run both the slot and the sidelines, Enunwa gives the Jets' offense more diversity, something that they didn't have last year.
He can even block like a TE, something that the most valuable TEs can do for their quarterbacks. But again, he's not quite a blocking TE, neither is he a wideout--Enunwa is whatever the Jets need him to be. Need a red zone target in the slot? Or maybe a third option at WR? How about a blocker to give Fitzpatrick more time in the pocket? Enunwa demonstrated his capabilities in all of these facets Thursday night. He is the swiss army knife of the Jets' passing game.
Thursday's coming out party for Enunwa also showed just how efficient the offense, and Fitzpatrick, can be when he is on his game. The team totaled 493 yards, 28 first downs, and went 61 percent on third downs. Three-hundred and seventy of those total yards and 18 of the first downs came in the air. The third down completion rate can be mostly attributed to Enunwa, who found open spots all night long in an injury-riddled Bills secondary.
However, it wasn't all just tosses that led the Jets offense to the victory. A healthy dose of Matt Forte balanced the game; his 100 yards and 3 TDs were colossal. But it cannot be overstated how vital Quincy Enunwa's production is for Fitzpatrick and the Jets.
Before Enunwa's breakout performance, the Jets relied too heavily on their two-headed monster at WR. Now, it's much hard to stop a three-headed beast. Add Matt Forte's varied contributions into the mix, and it's hard not to be optimistic about the Jets' offense going forward. We can thank Quincy Enunwa for helping open the floodgates and reshaping the dynamic of the team's offense. We'll see if Enunwa and the rest of the offense can keep it up against the Chiefs next week.
