Quincy Enunwa's career path is exactly what the current crop of Nebraska football players who are looking to earn roster spots this fall should pay attention to. With the announcement that the New York Jets are cutting ties with receiver Eric Decker, Enunwa looks to be the go-to receiver for the team this year. If he is indeed the number one receiver on his squad this fall, it will mean he's gone from playing in one game, to "the man" in four years.
As Enunwa has grown and matured, his statistics have gotten more impressive. In 2014, he played in that one game and didn't record a single catch.
In his second season he appeared in 12 games and started six. In those 12 games, he hauled down 22 catches for 315 yards but never found the end zone. Last year, the 2016 season, he played in all 16 games, started 13 of them, caught 58 passes for 857 yards and went for four touchdowns for the Jets.
Quarterback will be key
When you take a look at what Enunwa's season looked like in 2016, it's pretty obvious it went downhill when the quarterback play for the Jets bottomed out. In his first five games of the season, the former Nebraska star never had less than 4 catches in a game. In his final 11 games of the year, he got four catches or more just four times. He also didn't top five catches in those final 11 games after topping that mark three times in his first five games.
Much like last season, Enunwa will start the season with a veteran quarterback under center. This time it will be Josh McCown instead of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Like last season, it's assumed that at some point either Bryce Petty or Christian Hackenberg will take over the starting job. Neither of the youngsters are rookies, but neither has proven themselves to be a player that is going to lead the Jets to the promised land anytime soon.
Veteran presence could be a star-making turn
Whether talking about McCown, who has been in the league for 15 seasons but with the Jets for just a few months, or the young QBs who have seen few snaps, Enunwa can be the veteran presence the offense needs. He is, in fact, the most veteran receiver on the squad. Only Devin Street matches the former Husker as far as years played when removing Decker from the equation.
Street is in hist first year with the Jets and has just two starts under his belt in the NFL.
If Enunwa wants to take the next step, and go from 55 catches to the kind of receiver who is getting 80 or more per year, there may not be any better time. The only question left is whether the Jets are built in such a way that will allow him to take that next step.
