Jeremy Kerley put his dazzling athletic ability on full display in the New York Jets victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Kerley started the game's scoring with a 12-yard touchdown reception and followed that up in the second quarter with the Jets' first punt return touchdown since 2004. He's a quality receiver with considerable potential, but his versatility makes him a necessary commodity for Rex Ryan's team.
The Jets don't have any other players like him. Santonio Holmes is a possession option who has enough athleticism to get loose at times, but that's not why he's out there.
Stephen Hill is just a rookie, and he's not known for his dynamic open-field ability either. He's an excellent vertical threat because of his size and speed, but he doesn't have Kerley's elusiveness.
That leaves Chaz Schilens, Clyde Gates and Patrick Turner as the Jets' other receiving options. Gates is the only one of those three with above-average quickness, but he's not going to see enough time to make it matter.
Kerley is unique for the Jets, and they desperately need him to continue his play in the coming weeks. On an offense that lacks a standout talent at the skill positions, he brings explosiveness and home-run potential to the table.
The former Texas Christian Horned Frog consistently wowed spectators while playing in the Mountain West Conference, and those tendencies are finally showing through at the professional level.
His punt-return touchdown on Sunday wasn't the best I've ever seen, but Kerley made one cut and the rest was history. Check it out:
The Jets haven't had that sort of explosiveness in the past few years. That's part of the reason New York's scoring tends to be meager, and their offensive highlight tape is usually very vanilla.
Kerley isn't the savior of the organization, but players like he and Hill make a world of difference on the scoreboard.
He may be on the shorter side, but he impacts the Jets team in a big way.
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