Wideout Watch

Receivers who have an ideal recipe to flourish. Each are a key cog for the ignition of their team’s offense.

Jaxon Smith Njigba

The Seahawks have been clear in their offseason that it’s JSN’s turn. A player whose coaches and peers have always raved about. JSN has no holes in his game. The Seahawks offensive line projects to be a far better unit than what they marched out last year giving their new quarterback, Sam Darnold, more time. People’s hatred of Darnold after a late season meltdown is just a joke. Darnold was one of the best deep ball throwers in the league last season. He lost his best offensive lineman and stud offensive tackle to injury, Christian Darrisaw. After this he fell off a cliff because he isn’t agile and wasn’t used to pressure on the edge. That’s why Jared Verse ate the Vikings alive in the playoffs while Darnold’s mind was absent. His new contract may just be the biggest bargain at the quarterback position in the current market. The situation with JSN now is that he is by far the number one wideout on his team. Something that hasn’t been the case when he’s played alongside DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Njigba’s usage has been questionable, but even with that in weeks 8-16 last year he began to take flight. Klint Kubiak at the helm calling plays should translate to the highest usage he’s seen by a landslide. It also helps that Darnold had a propensity to lean on solely the top options in the Vikings’ offense.

Now Jaxon’s supporting cast is Cooper Kupp, MVS, and a bunch of rookies. The only man who can give him a run for his money is Cooper Kupp. Kupp’s an elite talent who has been constantly bitten by the injury bug. That may change though if the Seahawks are wise. Cooper’s injuries can largely be attributed to the fact that his usage was incredibly high while he was on the field. The Rams leaned on him too much and it was too physically taxing for the vet. Most likely Kupp will be utilized less. That being said he’ll go down for at least a few games, which will provide JSN with even more opportunity than what is projected for him at this moment. It’s a lock that Smith-Njigba eclipses 1,250 yards in 2025, he’s been waiting in the wings for his first two seasons. Don’t underestimate the fact that Kubiak is BY FAR the best offensive coordinator the Seahawks have had for their young receiver. One of the best in the NFL. It’s odd that the belief in Darnold is at an all time low since he became a starting level QB. The guy can play good football. JSN will be the benefactor of loads of deep balls this season. JSN might be the piece that takes the Hawks over the top. The Seahawks have all the pieces in place to silence all the doubters and take down the NFC West. 

Garrett Wilson

Nobody. I mean nobody can say anything to slight Garrett Wilson. The man made logoman catches weekly. Carrying his team every single game. Elite body control, sticky hands, and picture-esque route running are the traits that make him so special. He’s also never complained while having nothing around him whatsoever. Despite having one of the worst situations in the league Wilson has stated he wants to be a Jet for life. He’s more poised than ever to give New York Jets fans an elusive winning season. Usually star receivers come with an attitude and demand to be on competitive football teams even if that means acting out to force a move. Wilson has waited patiently with stellar seasons strung together consecutively for this very moment. Hopefully Garrett can take Justin Fields back in time to their college days. It could mean a possible resurgence for the young quarterback who has had pockets of immense struggle. The thing with Fields is that he has a cannon. And behind that cannon is a franchise who has told the young man that they believe. No one else believes as much as the franchise. It’s Fields’ job and his only. The only way the team succeeds is if New York really gets the ground game going to take weight off of Fields’ shoulders so he can get comfortable. If he is just somewhat comfortable Wilson will have a radioactive season ahead of him. There’s no one in the same stratosphere as Garrett Wilson when it comes to making plays on this Jets offense. Their only other weapon is Breece Hall.

Fields has shown with DJ Moore that he can produce a career year for a star receiver who is the primary and ONLY option. The narrative that DJ Moore was a complete statistical anomaly during his explosion with Justin Fields seems like a lazy analysis of the situation. Yes, he gained plenty of yardage after the catch, but it doesn’t change the fact that Chicago’s offense was abysmal. Fields only passed for 2,550 yards that season in 2023. Moore alone accounted for 1,364 receiving yards. 53% of Fields’ production coming from a singular playmaker is a safe indication that Garrett Wilson will be among the league leaders in receiving yards. The Bears had Darnell Mooney as well while the Jets have legitimately no second options. If Fields finally reaches an average level as a passer then Wilson’s floor will be 1,250 yards. His ceiling, the top receiver in all of football. The coaching staff is talking about his intense usage, Fields knows everything must run through Wilson, and Wilson himself knows he’s on track to be an all time great for the Jets. An all time great might be quite a declaration, but at the catch point the young wideout goes toe to toe with all the best of the best in the NFL. You know a guy has had a wild career as a receiver when Justin Fields, a completely unproven player, might easily be the best player at the quarterback position that he’s had. 

Emeka Egbuka

Watching the Bucs intently to see Chris Godwin go down in the fashion he did was just sickening. He’s had his share of injuries, but the way he hurt his leg was nearly unwatchable. Especially in a game against the Ravens that was out of reach. Early in the 2024 season, in the wake of tragedy, the Buccaneers needed a remedy. They no longer could throw the air out of the football. Baker Mayfield threw the ball a million times and took what was in front of him his first year in Tampa. That’s how he got back into a groove with Dave Canales in 2023, the year that saved his career. What they were missing for Baker’s full resurgence was a ground game. A ground game is what led to Baker’s peak play. The brighter days he played on the Browns were spearheaded by Nick Chubb alongside Kareem Hunt. A dominant rushing attack. Bucky Irving brought back that force on the ground for Baker. A do it all running back behind an incredible, young offensive line. The same recipe that saw him just fall short of an AFC Championship appearance. A poorly officiated gut wrenching loss to the Chiefs back in 2021. What the Buccaneers did this offseason was assess their tools on the offensive side. What does Baker need? He now has the keys and most definitely doesn’t need a curfew.

Baker has become this larger than life, gutsy, gunslinger. And no I’m not overstating it. I hated Baker Mayfield more than anyone else. Thought he was cocky, overrated, and undersized back in Cleveland. I even coined a nickname for Mayfield during Dave Canales’ time calling plays in Tampa. “Faker Mayfield.” To help him Tampa looked at prospects who could fill the shoes of Chris Godwin and stumbled upon Emeka Egbuka. Shining character, constant producer, pro. That’s what Emeka Egbuka is. A four year player who’s sure hands reeled in the most receptions in OSU history. He accepts any role. He has played next to the best of the best in college and always found a way to carve out a target share that propelled his team. Mike Evans is getting old. Godwin's likelihood of bouncing back is improbable. These two factors require Egbuka to be the X-factor for Tampa. He’s a textbook player for Baker. Someone who always runs smooth routes and gets open. When he is targeted a drop is out of the picture. His hands are elite, plucking the football out of tight windows with ease. A player who is as technically sound as a secondary receiver can be. He is the Godwin replacement. It’s unlikely Chris Godwin suits up week one. And if he does will he be able to handle a workload akin to the one he had pre-injury? No shot. There’s a reason Egbuka jumped up to the 19th overall pick. Their core won’t hold much longer. By week 17 it’s a guarantee Egbuka will be a focal point. He's shown he has no problem waiting for his turn for the duration of his playing days.

Tyreek Hill

No one wants to talk about him. And that’s for good reason. The only thing more stunning than his blazing speed is his appalling character. That being said, Hill's talent is just undeniable. He’s so fast that putting safeties over the top can’t contain him. He’s dealt with injury, off the field issues, and Tua’s poor play covered up in part by constant concussions. It couldn’t have made for a worse season. After last year and his silly off the field antics fans had developed a short term memory for who Tyreek had been. He had back to back 1,700 seasons that were the sole reason Miami could squeak into the playoffs to get absolutely obliterated by their competition. It’s a shame Hill has seen some prime years wasted on a team that doesn’t have aspirations that exceed a Wild Card berth. The consensus on Hill just falls by the second. It’s sort of unknown if Hill wants to play in Miami and for that, who can blame him? There’s no way that Waddle exceeds Tyreek in this offense and after last year’s complete organizational failure Tyreek and the Dolphins are looking for vengeance. There isn’t a player who can flip a game on its head like Tyreek Hill can. 

In all likelihood we may be approaching Tua’s last dance. Yes, that may sound dramatic, but it’s the harsh reality. This season is crucial for Tua and the narrative that surrounds him. A quarterback who is the product of his system. Against the best defenses in the league he wilts. Primetime, playoffs, and have to have it late season games always uncover the veil Mike McDaniel puts over his young QB. Tyreek is Tua’s last hope. If Hill ends up departing from South Beach Tagovailoa’s contract becomes a colossal mishap. You can’t receive a contract that makes you one of the highest paid players in the league and expect it to come with no scrutiny. The “script” indicates Hill is going to bounce back in a big way, since every integral component of this franchise is under fire. McDaniel, Tyreek, and Tua. This offensive scheme in South Beach simply has to change. Out with the dink and dunk short timing routes. Tua has to connect on long heaves to Hill and there just has to be a better way to get Waddle going than the screen game. Waddle is too talented to not command a significant target share every game. And these targets need to be further down the field than eight yards. There may not be a chess piece on an offense more important than Tyreek Hill is to the Miami Dolphins, which is why he’s a safe bet. He gets fully utilized, he thrives along with the team. He disappoints, the Dolphins enter SeaWorld.

Calvin Ridley 

It’s no debate who the most underrated wide receiver in the league is. It’s Calvin Ridley. Coming into Tennessee from Jacksonville, Ridley went from one dumpster fire to an even worse one. Will Levis was so bad he became a meme. Losing games in the wildest fashion on a weekly basis. Consistently missing easy throws. Handing the ball over to defenses in unfathomable fashion. The pictures of some of these moments were just pure comedy. The Bears vs Titans game was one of the worst displays ever seen. The ONLY reason Tennessee lost was due to Levis being the worst player on the field by far. That’s what sets the tone for Ridley this year. He had one of the worst QBs statistically then went from Levis to Mason Rudolph. His QB play was so bad he had 1,097 unrealized air yards in 2024. Plays where he was open and the ball was nowhere near him. If I remember correctly around 40% of his targets were catchable. Despite every hurdle he had he still eclipsed 1,000 yards even when the Titans couldn’t contend in any contests. Now he has Cam Ward who was the highest rated down the field passer in all of college football while boasting the highest average depth of target. A perfect recipe for a deep threat receiver.

When Ridley strides down the field to chase down the deep ball he’s so good at creating separation. Elite ball tracking skills accompanied by a late flash of the hands makes life miserable for defensive backs trying to shade him. Ridley still has the elite burst to move in and out of breaks and leave defenders in the dust. Despite being 30 years old he has only played five full seasons. His story is one of resilience. Missing most of 2021 due to anxiety and depression, getting caught gambling during the time to suspend Ridley through 2022, then coming back to prove he still had something left in the tank. To think he had to hang it up for two seasons right after his career year is mind boggling. Then he came back. After two 1,000 yard seasons on flailing teams this is his year to rekindle the magic he brought to Atlanta early in his career. It’s been a trend in the NFL for one team who finished last in their division to win it the next season and the AFC South is the most volatile division in the league. The only hope for the Titans is Ridley at the end of the day. With Ward in town it’s probable that Tony Pollard’s workload on the ground is diminished. Last year their passing game was so bad that Pollard was the sole option on offense. Ridley must be peppered with targets if Ward is going to succeed early. It’s time for a new era in Tennessee.