The New York Jets benched rookie wide receiver Arian Smith.
Gang Green made Smith a healthy scratch ahead of the Week 13 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
The rest of the inactives include running back Khalil Herbert, tight end Jelani Woods, defensive end Tyler Baron, defensive tackle Mazi Smith, pass rusher Braiden McGregor, and starting cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
Dennis Waszak Jr of the Associated Press called that decision a “surprise” by the team.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed that head coach Aaron Glenn “pushed back on the idea that Arian Smith had dropped in the WR ‘pecking order’” during his media availability on Friday.
Coach Glenn said Smith was “one of their better gunners on the punt team.” However, on Sunday, November 30, Smith, for the first time in his NFL career, was a “healthy scratch”, per Cimini.
Smith Has Proven to Be a Bust so Far in His NFL Career
The Jets took Smith with the No. 110 overall pick in the fourth round of April’s draft.
Gang Green received a lot of flak nationally for that selection. NBC Sports NFL draft analyst Connor Rogers described the pick as a “massive reach” at the time.
“10 drops in 2024. I mean, that is a 16.7% drop rate on catchable targets. That is one of the worst rates in college football. Not in the draft, in college football. He doesn’t track well, concentration [and] body control struggles, a body catcher, the routes don’t have tempo … I thought this was a sixth-round player … I don’t understand that pick,” Rogers explained on the Bleacher Report live stream.
The pick is making less sense as the results pour in.
Smith has appeared in 11 games and has made five starts. He has been targeted 10 times, has caught six receptions for 47 receiving yards, and has failed to score a touchdown. The former Georgia product has contributed three rushing attempts for 11 yards on the ground.
Smith has three and a half years remaining on his $5.2 million rookie contract through the 2028 season. If he can’t get on the field with one of the weakest wide receiving corps in the NFL, it’s fair to wonder when he will ever get back on the field.
On the consensus big board for the 2025 NFL draft, Smith was ranked No. 274. The Jets took him 164 spots ahead of that ranking. When you, as a team, go against consensus, especially by that significant a margin — you better be right, or else you will catch heat for it.
It’s still early, but there aren’t many positive signs suggesting that the Jets got it right.
Jets Down a Starter in the Secondary
Smith, being a healthy scratch, was certainly a head turner.
However, the other notable news on the inactive list was the appearance of starting slot corner Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
He popped up on the injury report late this week. Brownlee started as “questionable” but was downgraded to “doubtful” on Saturday, November 29.
With Brownlee out of the lineup, the likeliest replacement plan is undrafted free agent Jordan Clark. Clark, the son of ESPN personality Ryan Clark, was elevated from the practice squad for the first time this season.
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