Jerricho Cotchery

Someone has to catch Cam Newton’s passes this year. Carolina drafted Kelvin Benjamin late in the first round, but between a slow (albeit huge) rookie and an above-average tight end in Greg Olsen, that’s not going to add up to 500 targets. Enter the 32-year old journeyman Cotchery who somehow caught 10 touchdowns last year despite not otherwise being a huge factor in the Steelers’ offense. At 6-1, 200, Cotchery has just average size, and even at his peak he wasn’t fast. Cotchery runs good routes and has solid hands, so he’ll likely be a possession option for Newton along with Jason Avant who has a similar skill set. But unless Benjamin flops, we’d expect the rookie – and Olsen – to be the prime red-zone targets.

Cotchery's stats were virtually identical to 2011, when he caught 16 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns. He has been a bit of a disappointment considering he averaged 67 receptions for 841 yards and 3.6 touchdowns in the five seasons prior to joining the Steelers. However, he could be in line for more targets due to Mike Wallace's departure.

Until Mike Wallace ended his holdout, Cotchery looked to have a firm hold on the Steelers' third receiver position. Now he is buried behind Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

With Santonio Holmes re-signed and the free agent acquisitions of Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason, Cotchery found himself looking for a new home. At 6-1, 197 and with just average speed, Cotchery's not suited to be a No. 1, and his per-play numbers last year (5.0 YPT, 10.6 YPC) were pretty awful. Cotchery's got good hands and is tough enough to go over the middle and fill a possession role, but he will likely won't see as many targets as previous seasons now that he's in Pittsburgh. With Mike Wallace and Hines Ward ahead of him, Cotchery will have to compete with Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders for the third receiver slot.

Once miscast as the team’s No. 1 wideout, Cotchery slides into a lesser role now that the more explosive Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes are in the fold. Cotchery actually performed well last year — 14.4 yards per catch, 8.5 yards per target, four catches of 40-yards plus — despite playing with a rookie quarterback. At 6-1, 197, Cotchery has just average size, but he’s tough, physical and willing to catch balls in traffic over the middle of the field. Cotchery isn’t particularly fast or shifty, but he runs good routes and has solid hands. The Jets rarely looked to Cotchery in the red zone last year — just seven targets there all season. With Holmes suspended for the season’s first four games, Cotchery should see more work early on, but it’s hard to see the Jets throwing enough to support strong seasons from Holmes, Edwards, Cotchery and developing tight end Dustin Keller if everyone’s healthy. Cotchery is the least talented of that group and could see his role diminish as a result.

Whether it was poor chemistry with Brett Favre or merely a lingering shoulder injury, Cotchery took a step back last year, averaging just 12.1 yards per catch (down from 13.8) and 7.7 yards per target (down from 8.9). Then again, his 2008 numbers were in line with his 2006 averages, so perhaps 2007 (when he had his best per-play season) was the outlier. In any event, the 6-1, 197-pound Cotchery returns as the Jets’ No. 1 receiver, especially now that Laveranues Coles has left for Cincinnati. Chansi Stuckey is next on the team’s depth chart at press time, though there were some rumors around draft time that the Jets were interested in signing Plaxico Burress, should Burress not wind up in the penitentiary. Cotchery is a physical wideout with good hands and the toughness to go over the middle, but he’s not a burner and lacks ideal red-zone size. Cotchery was targeted in the red-zone 17 times last year, but converted just three into scores, which isn’t surprising as only five of those targets were from inside the 10. While Cotchery should see a bump in looks this season from the 111 he had a year ago, he’ll be playing with some combination of Kellen Clemens and rookie Mark Sanchez, so the passing-game conditions are less than ideal.

After a solid season in 2006 when he caught 65 percent of the balls thrown his way, Cotchery performed even better last year, keeping up the excellent catch rate, but boosting his yards per catch to 13.8. The result was a per-target average of 8.9 yards, good for fifth among the 34 100- target receivers. And the top four (Randy Moss, Reggie Wayne, Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson) all had superstar quarterbacks throwing them the ball. Not so for Cotchery who went into battle with Chad Pennington and Kellen Clemens. Cotchery was used fairly regularly in the red zone (15 targets in 15 games), but converted just one of those targets into a touchdown. His conversion rate in 2006 was similarly bad – 2-for-21. At 6-0, 207, Cotchery's got decent size and Hines Ward-like toughness and strength. He'll fight for balls in the air and isn’t afraid of contact in heavily trafficked parts of the field. So it’s surprising that he fared so poorly in the red zone. Cotchery's a good after-the-catch runner due to his strength and ability to break tackles (he had four catches of 40-plus and 18 from more than 20, tied for seventh with Moss), but he's not a burner, so unless Cotchery's red-zone production picks up, his ceiling is limited.

Cotchery had a fine season for the Jets in 2006, providing a consistent a reliable possession threat. Cotchery had at least 50 receiving yards in 10 games, and he hauled in an impressive 65 percent of his targets, fourth among receivers with 100 or more. Cotchery was also the team’s favorite target in the red zone, with 21 looks (tied for sixth), but only two of those looks went for scores. For Cotchery to be a upper-tier fantasy threat, he’ll have to convert a far higher percentage because he’s not going to score from distance often – he brought in just one reception of 40-plus yards all year. At 6-0, 207, Cotchery had above-average size and good hands, and he’s willing to make catches in traffic. Cotchery also has good quickness for a big receiver, and he’s hard to bring down after the catch. Despite lacking deep speed, Cotchery has the skills to make occasional big plays, but with Chad Pennington under center, expect him to do most of his work in the short and intermediate areas.

He showed flashes in his second season (19-251), so keep an eye peeled on Cotchery as he enters that all important third year. The Jets are by no means married to any wideout after Laveranues Coles, so the opportunity for Cotchery to move up the depth chart is definitely there.

He will compete for the fourth wide receiver position.

Considered a solid possession receiver, Cotchery gives the Jets immediate depth at wideout -- he could start the season as the #4 WR on the depth chart -- and is a good insurance policy for Wayne Chrebet, who is coming off major concussion issues.