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The statistics used in this column are those acquired from the Reception Perception methodology for evaluating wide receivers. Use the #ReceptionPerception tag on Twitter to follow all the analysis from the series.
Coming into the season we all loved the Jets wide receiver corps. Not because it was a deep group or filled with sleepers, but because it was one of the rare and coveted highly concentrated passing attacks. The distribution of targets was shallow, funneling almost completely through Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall.
However, through two weeks a surprising contributor has emerged to give New York’s passing game a third counter-punch. Thus far in the 2016 season, Quincy Enunwa racked up 146 yards and a touchdown, while hauling in 13 of his 14 targets. Enunwa stands at 6’2 and weighs 220-plus pounds all while carrying some interesting athletic attributes. But to say his rise to the status of a major contributor in a high-powered offense is anything but shocking would be disingenuous.
Despite those athletic attributes, including a 4.44 40-yard dash and 19-bench press reps, Enunwa was a mere sixth-round draft pick in 2014 and was viewed as a potential developmental H-back. He didn’t make the final roster, getting cut out of training camp and re-signed to the practice squad. His struggles to catch on continued as he was suspended for four games to start 2015 for violating the personal conduct policy. He caught a pedestrian 47.8 percent of his targets that year, and didn’t look like a consistent factor.
Nevertheless, Enunwa cast those doubts aside this year and was hot right out of the gate, catching a touchdown in Week 1 and clearing 90 yards in Week 2. The Jets and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey found a unique role to utilize his unique blend of abilities. Enunwa played 59 percent of his snaps out of the slot over the last two weeks, but also took 12 percent at tight end. The Jets already make use of a big receiver in the slot in Eric Decker, and now they have Enunwa to execute similar assignments while also function as a glorified move tight end. Enunwa’s skill set fits perfectly for this carefully crafted position.
Reception Perception shows that is primarily an over the middle route runner. Outside of the shallow flat route, just 3.8 percent of his Week 2 route were out-breaking patterns (comeback, out, corner). Enunwa’s most commonly run route was the post, with 30.8 percent of his 26 routes against the Bills being of that variety. The flat (15.4 percent) and slant (19.2 percent) were the next two highest run routes for the big receiver. There’s not a ton of nuance to what is asked of him, but no matter, because the execution is supreme.
Enunwa posted a success rate vs. coverage score of 100 percent on his eight post routes in Week 2. He’s a big target who is capable of using size to shield defenders, but also has enough quickness to chop off routes and get open at the break point. This also shows up in his 100 percent success rate on curl routes, where again, he can utilize his intimidating frame and surprisingly agile feet.
With that being said, none of Enunwa’s other route-to-route success rate vs. coverage scores stand out. This is reflected in his overall success rate vs. man coverage score, which is just around the league average at 63.6 percent. If he was asked to do battle with high-end top cornerbacks on the outside, he would likely struggle to create the routine separation needed to post the numbers he has. With that being said, he’s perfect for what this offense asks of him. Enunwa’s success rate vs. zone coverage score in Week 2 was a sterling 80 percent, well above the league average. He consistently found the soft spot in zones and knows where to make the break on those deep and intermediate crossing patterns. Enunwa plays with an edge and has no fear in sifting through the traffic of the middle of the field. When not lined up one-on-one and left to roam through zones, Enunwa is simply too big and athletic for linebackers or safeties to track down. Nickel corners are a poor matchup with him too, as he knows how to use his size.
In Week 2, Enunwa hauled in all four of his contested catch conversion attempts. His 100 percent success rate shows he can “be open even when he’s covered” by defenders. Not only does he know how to use his shadow-casting frame, but Enunwa also tracks and adjusts to the ball well in the air. The Bills have a good set of cornerbacks, but even on some outside routes, Enunwa got in good position and came down with contested catches for big plays. He’s not afraid to leave his feet for off-target passes, and fits right in with Marshall and Decker’s archetype, both of whom have above the 20th percentile contested catch conversion rates in Reception Perception. All told, he’s a tremendously difficult cover given where the Jets line him up most often.
We have a small sample size to observe, but Quincy Enunwa is making the most of these little glimpses. The Jets offense is based around a spread offense and Ryan Fitzpatrick attempted 69 passes through the first two games but the Jets play with so much tempo (first in the NFL in seconds per play) that there’s a rising tide of opportunity for the passing game weapons.
We might not have an explosive breakout candidate on our hands in Enunwa, but at worst, we have a player who took a major step forward the last two weeks in his career trajectory. A mere afterthought just a month ago, Enunwa now looks like a featured part of a passing game that was just begging to have other members emerge. Credit to the Jets coaching staff for mold a role for a unique and talent player, and all the praise in the world for Enunwa to step forward and fill in. The once top wide receiver duo in the NFL now has a legitimate third threat. Welcome to the show, Quincy Enunwa.
