Yet another receiver has fallen for the New York Jets, as reports have emerged that Jeff Smith is the latest lost to injury.
Oh boy. #Jets WR Jeff Smith is hurt. Landed awkwardly and comes off favoring his shoulder.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 29, 2020
Reports have emerged from New York Jets training camp that the team has lost yet another receiver to injury. The catcher in question this time around is Jeff Smith, the second-year man who had a major opportunity in the wake of prior losses.
According to Connor Hughes of The Athletic, Smith “landed awkwardly and (came) off favoring his shoulder”. New York Post writer Brian Costello stated that Smith later left the field and that it “(looked) like he was in a lot of pain”.
Smith, 23, joined the team last season as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College. He spent the majority of the season on the practice squad but was promoted to the active roster in December. The former Eagle would earn a 12-year reception in his NFL debut against Baltimore but suffered an ankle sprain, leading to placement on injured reserve shortly after.
This is the latest blow to the Jets’ receiving corps. Presumed top targets Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims have missed most of the proceedings thus far with injuries and Josh Doctson opted out of the 2020 proceedings. Undrafted standout Lawrence Cager was also being evaluated with a knee issue, while another returnee, Vyncint Smith, won’t be available until mid-September The reported signing of Donte Moncrief now looms even larger, as does the recent arrival of two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Hogan. Other healthy receivers include 2019 returnee Braxton Berrios, veteran Josh Malone and several undrafted rookies.
In the slightest silver lining, the Jets did enjoy a solid day from one of those first-year signees, George Campbell. ESPN’s Rich Cimini that the West Virginia product scored during a seven-on-seven session and later scored again during a team period, this one being a 43-yard grab from David Fales.
Head coach Adam Gase originally expected Perriman, formerly of Tampa Bay, to return for the weekend’s activities but stated he needed more time, per Dennis Waszak of the Associated Press.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags