2019 Jets Free Agency Profiles: Jamison Crowder

Welcome to the 2019 Jets Free Agency Profile series! Up until the start of the 2019 free agency period in March, I’ll be running through a bunch of names the Jets could potentially bring in with their hoard of cap space. Let’s get into it!

Name: Jamison Crowder

Birthday/Age: June 17th, 1993 (age 26 on September 1st)

Height/Weight: 5’9, 177

FA type: Unrestricted

College: Duke (drafted 105th overall by Washington in the fourth round of the 2015 Draft)

Team(s): Redskins (2015-18)

Position/usage: Slot receiver

2018 stats: 9 games, 29 catches, 49 targets, 388 yards, 2 touchdowns. 59.2% catch rate, 13.4 yards per reception, 7.92 yards per target

Previous salary: 2015 fourth round, 105th overall rookie contract. $2.0M cap hit in 2018

Spotrac Market Value: $8.1M/year (would currently be 27th highest at wide receiver)

Jets connections: Duke teammate of Thomas Hennessy, Redskins teammate of Spencer Long and Andre Roberts

Measurables (via mockdraftable.com):

Pros:

• Will only be 26 at the start of 2019
• Fits the team need for a pure slot receiver
• 133 catches for 1,636 yards and 10 touchdowns over 31 games from 2016-17 prior to injury-plagued 2018 season
• Not just a checkdown option. Worked a lot of intermediate and deeper routes in Washington and accumulated proficient yardage totals for a slot receiver. For his career, averaging over 11.8 yards per reception on a 67.2% catch rate. The only other wide receivers (minimum 300 targets) since 2015 who are averaging 11.8+ yards per catch on a 67%+ catch rate are Michael Thomas, Keenan Allen, Adam Thielen, Tyreek Hill, and Doug Baldwin. Hill and Baldwin are the only other sub-six foot players who have done it

• Bouncing off of that, via Pro Football Focus, Crowder was a top-five receiver on hitch routes in 2017
• Was just a solid YAC producer over the previous two seasons, but took a huge leap in 2018. Ranked fourth among wide receivers in yards after catch per reception (7.6, one spot behind Quincy Enunwa) and ninth in average YAC above expectation (+1.0). Type of guy who looks to grind out every extra yard he can get at the end of a play

• Punt return experience, 86 career returns for a 7.9 yard average. One return touchdown

Cons:

• Missed seven games with an ankle injury in 2018
• Fumble question marks. Over his first three seasons, his 12 total fumbles tied for the league lead among non-quarterbacks. Had five as a receiver and seven as a punt returner. On the positive side, he went without a fumble in 2018
• Only five touchdowns in 24 games over past two seasons after posting career-high seven in 2016
• Tends to be erratic with his production, with some very good stretches (typically in the middle of the season) and some cold ones (typically to start or finish a season)
• Outside of his remarkable yardage numbers, efficiency isn’t very impressive. Poor first down rates of 34% in 2016, 38% in 2017, and 30% in 2018. Ranked 44th in DVOA in 2016, 57th in 2017 and 54th in 2018

Crowder’s current Spotrac market value would place him at 27th in average annual value at wide receiver. Is that a reasonable value? It’s a question that will be fair to ask regarding almost every single player on the free agent market, especially at this position. Mediocre DVOA ranks coupled with below average first down rates are in the bullet point above. In addition, since entering the league, among wide receivers Crowder ranks 30th in receiving yards, 32nd in receptions, 40th in receiving first downs, and 49th in receiving touchdowns.

Considering his age, which seemingly places him in his prime, it looks like a fair argument could possibly be made that 27th is a reasonable price for a 26-year old player on the inflated open market with those production ranks. Still, at the end of the day, a #27 salary for a player with ~35th-40th production is a gamble no matter how you slice it.

What are your thoughts on the match between the Jets and Jamison Crowder?