Of all the tight ends in the NFL, I never thought I'd list Jets TE Kellen Winslow as a Week 2 Waiver Wire pickup option. In a career filled with promise and a problematic knee, Winslow's debut as a Jet could give him a chance at resurrecting what was once considered a dead career.
Lets face it, the Jets don't have many consistent playmakers on offense. But against the Buccaneers, the Jets looked good in some spots and bad in others. Santonio Holmes caught one pass. Stephen Hill was targeted a team-high 9 times, catching 6 passes for 39 yards. There is still room to grow here, but Geno Smith will need to be comfortable throwing the deep ball to make Hill effective every week. Jeremy Kerley caught 3 passes, but was diagnosed with a concussion. As for Winslow, he was the obvious star of the Jets offense after catching 7 balls for 79 yards and a touchdown. The tight end is a rookie quarterback's safety net. Winslow showed that Sunday and throughout the preseason. There is ongoing chemistry here.
The downfall to Winslow's career has been his right knee. Ever since a motorcycle accident in 2005, Winslow has undergone a multitude of knee surgeries that would cripple the average person. My estimation is that Winslow's knee is that of an 80 year old man. It has zapped a lot of his ability. The Seahawks gave Winslow a chance before the start of the 2012 season after a trade from the Bucs, only to surprisingly release him. The Patriots had him on the roster for a couple weeks, but he was eventually released because, well, it was believed that he was simply in too much pain to play effectively. After interest from a couple teams, Winslow signed a one-year deal with the Jets in June of 2013. That's quite a back-story for a player who started off his career being pissed that the Redskins didn't draft him in the 2004 draft. He was vocal about that for awhile.
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Winslow looked like the Winslow of old Sunday, but the $60,000 question will be how long will it last and how long will his knee hold up? When all cylinders are clicking, Winslow can dominate. He showed it with the Browns and the Buccaneers. He definitely has the upside of a TE1 considering the Jets are in a bit of disarray with their offense, but I wouldn't pick him up as anything more than a TE2....for now. If Winslow can have a repeat performance against the Patriots next week, it looks like we could have a potential low-end TE1 on our hands. Owners who do pick him up have to hope that knee doesn't come back to haunt him.