The New York Jets will be without one of their veteran receivers as they take on the Miami Dolphins in a divisional matchup on the inaugural Black Friday game.
Allen Lazard Benched
Allen Lazard will be inactive against the Dolphins in the divisional matchup.
The news comes after the receiver dropped his seventh pass of the season in the Jets’ loss to the Buffalo Bills.
After signing a $44 million contract this offseason, Lazard has a total of 20 catches for 290 yards and one touchdown so far this season.
Lazard followed Aaron Rodgers to the Jets after spending five years with the Green Bay Packers. In his final season, he finished with 60 receptions for 788 yards and six receiving touchdowns across 15 games.
Lazard was only able to crack the 50-yard mark once in an individual game this season. Over the last three weeks, Lazard has averaged just 11.7 yards per game — despite playing 168 offensive snaps over that period.
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With Lazard being sidelined, Xavier Gipson, Jason Brownlee, Irvin Charles, and Randall Cobb would be candidates to log Week 12 snaps behind top WR option Garrett Wilson.
The 2023 season has not panned out like the Jets expected: Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon just a few plays into the regular season. Lazard found success playing with Rodgers but has been unable to make a big impact with Zach Wilson under center.
Jets’ Ongoing Struggles
The Jets put all their stock in Rodgers this season and have fallen apart without him. In recent weeks, Rodgers has reported that he might be ready before the end of the season, but it is highly unlikely he will be able to make a return in time to turn the Jets’ season around.
Wilson, a third-year quarterback, was also benched ahead of the Black Friday matchup as he has been inefficient leading the offense.
Wilson completed 59.2% of his passes for 1,944 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions before being benched for the season.
Now demoted to the third-string position, Wilson will play behind Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian.
Speaking on why he decided to move ahead with Boyle, Jets HC Robert Saleh said, “We just want to give him an opportunity. He has a different style of quarterback. It’s really to allow him to see if we can do something with the offense.”
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Boyle entered the NFL in 2018 and has made a name for himself as a backup option as he has been with several teams, including the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears.
In his 18 NFL appearances, Boyle has a stat line of just three touchdowns and 18 interceptions.
Now without Lazard, it will be interesting to see what Boyle can do with the Jets’ offense and if he can spark anything. The team has produced only nine touchdowns in 10 games and is looking to snap a three-game skid.
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