Criminally underutilized throughout his Jets tenure, Panthers newcomer Robby Anderson has already erupted for 688 receiving yards this year, third-most in the NFL behind only DeAndre Hopkins and Stefon Diggs. So much for the outdated narrative that receivers often struggle upon joining new teams—Hopkins, Diggs and Anderson all played elsewhere a year ago. Either way, it’s been agonizing for Jets fans to see one of their own succeed outside the confines of MetLife Stadium with the 6’3,” 190-pound Anderson quickly emerging as the Panthers’ alpha.
Clearly the Jets dropped the ball on Anderson, who fled the Big Apple this offseason in pursuit of free-agent riches. The fifth-year receiver showed flashes during his Jets tenure, particularly in 2017 when the Temple alum broke out for career-highs in catches (63), yards (941) and touchdowns (seven) while serving as Josh McCown’s preferred downfield target. But evidently, New York’s front office didn’t think the former UDFA was deserving of the lavish two-year, $20-million sum he received from Carolina in a move that reunited Anderson with former college coach Matt Rhule. In retrospect, GM Joe Douglas wishes he had been more aggressive in his pursuit of the talented 27-year-old, accepting blame for badly misjudging Anderson’s market.
“I go back and look at what I could have done better in that specific situation. I think what went wrong with us and Robby, we thought that Robby’s value was going to be even greater than what he signed for in Carolina,” Douglas lamented Tuesday in comments relayed by Newsday’s Al Iannazzone. “That’s on me ultimately and that’s on us moving forward to get a handle of every player’s market value.”
Meanwhile the unheralded duo of Jeff Smith (who spent much of last year on New York’s practice squad) and second-round rookie Denzel Mims served as the Jets’ starting receivers in Sunday’s loss to Kansas City. Both were out-targeted by Braxton Berrios (8-34-0 on 11 targets), who amazingly is not a computer-generated player on Madden. Needless to say, the injury-depleted Jets are missing Anderson’s presence more than ever.
“I tip my hat,” said Douglas, acknowledging the success Anderson has enjoyed in his debut season for Carolina. “We don’t want to be in the business of losing good players.”
Still seeking their first victory of 2020, the Jets will hope to avoid falling to 0-9 when they host New England on Monday Night Football in Week 9.
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