How the hell am I supposed to know who this is? - Allen Lazard

by Site Admin

In an occasional feature, we briefly highlight any of the lesser-known players that make an unexpected impact during camp, preseason or the regular season.

Today, we focus on wide receiver Allen Lazard:

What he did:

Lazard isn't so much an unknown quantity as a forgotten man after a disastrous first year with the Jets that saw him fall out of the rotation despite having signed a four-year, $44 million contract in March.

After week 10, Lazard had just three catches for 21 yards, all of which came in a 30-0 blowout loss to Miami, as it looked like the Jets were going to phase him out completely and he might not have a role in his second season despite a guaranteed salary of $10 million.

However, early signs are that Aaron Rodgers' return has helped Lazard, who has been working exclusively with the first unit and producing well in camp, despite the fact he's often matched up with Sauce Gardner. Lazard played most of his career with Rodgers as his quarterback, so the pair have obvious chemistry.

Through four practices, Lazard has had multiple catches in each practice and three touchdowns.

Perhaps even more importantly, he only has one drop.

Outlook:

At the moment, Lazard is only starting because Mike Williams remains on the PUP list and word is that Williams is ahead of schedule so could be returning sooner or later.

Behind Lazard, not many players have been pushing him to take reps or targets away from him. Jason Brownlee and Malik Taylor have had their moments but Malachi Corley has been quiet and Xavier Gipson is going to miss a few weeks due to injury.

If Lazard can reestablish himself as a useful contributor this year, then that $10 million they've committed to him won't be going to waste and the depth at the receiver position will look a lot healthier.

More on Lazard:

Here's our in-depth scouting report on Lazard.