Poised to be the best player on a struggling team, 2017 appeared to be the year former Nebraska football star Quincy Enunwa showed he could handle the NFL workload. It turns out this won't be his break out season after all. The wide receiver, coming off a career best year in 2016, suffered an apparent neck injury that is expected to keep him out for the entirety of the season.

This injury is not just a blow to Enunwa, who looked like he was finally going to be showing what he could do, but also to the Jets. The team has a definite shortage of talent on the NFL roster and it's a safe bet that the former Nebraska football star was going to be leaned on as a go-to option for whoever took the helm at quarterback this year.

Enunwa's ascension after leaving Nebraska

When the receiver left Nebraska and hoped for an NFL job, it appeared the most he should aim for was on special teams. Enunwa played in just one game in his rookie season, and didn't see the field as a wide receiver. Ironically, injuries have helped the former Nebraska football star rise up the ranks the last two years.

In his second season in the NFL, Quincy Enunwa appeared in 12 games and started six. In those appearances, he started to show that he could indeed be a boon to an offense, hauling in 22 passes for 315 yards. The receiver was definitely used sparingly, though, like last year, problems at the quarterback position played a role in his numbers not being as high as they might have been on another team.

Last year was indeed his breakout season as he eventually became the top option for Jets quarterbacks. In 2016 he caught 58 passes for 587 yards and four touchdowns. He also played in all 16 games and started 13 of them. Not only was Enunwa someone who was showing he could put the team on his back, but he was someone Nebraska football fans could point to as a true NFL sucess, something that's been few and far between in recent years.

Former Nebraska football player's exit leaves Jets thin in experience

The biggest issue with Quincy Enunwa's season ending injury isn't just that the Jets lost their leading returning receiver. New York, by all accounts does have some good young receivers in the wings. The problem is that they are very young. There isn't a veteran presence in the Jets' wide receiver corps right now. The team will have to hope Enunwa can be someone who can lead from the sidelines. If he manages to do that, the upside is that he'll further ingratiate himself with his NFL home.
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