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If you’ve been following the New York Jets on a behind-the-scenes basis with all the team footage they release on YouTube, you may already know that the resident class clown is none other than wide receiver Keelan Cole.
We’ve written about the impending free agent becoming a glue guy on this roster but of late, the former Jacksonville Jaguar has proven to be so much more than that. Outside of the victory over the Tennessee Titans, Cole got off to a slow start with his new franchise and it was not entirely his fault.
After missing Week 1 with injury, the wide-out received no targets in Week 2 and three targets or less in every other game (besides Week 4) up until Halloween. With Mike White on the field and more importantly, Corey Davis sidelined, Cole has stepped up and shown his true potential.
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Should the Jets Extend Cole?
The case can definitely be made for Joe Douglas to re-sign Cole but should he get proactive instead and extend him? It’s certainly a possibility if he can work out a lucrative deal with the wide receiver that keeps him around at an affordable price tag.
Cole signed a one-year deal with the Jets for $5.5 million, somewhat pricey for a depth wide receiver. If Douglas upped the length to a three-year extension though, I wonder if that number might drop a bit.
Not only is he well-liked off the field as the charismatic and lovable goofball (more on that below) but he’s got some serious skills and he’s performed when given the opportunity. For example, Cole has outplayed 2020 second-rounder Denzel Mims in Davis’ absence.
In Week 8, aside from the spectacular one-handed grab that was called back in the cover photo above — which should have been ruled a touchdown catch — Cole hauled in three of five targets. Week 9 was better, as the underrated weapon accumulated five receptions for 66 yards.
In that primetime outing against the Indianapolis Colts, it was the first time that Cole was targeted over five times (eight). He has a catch rate of 66.7% on the year while Mims’ rate is 50.0%.
As for his role, Cole has been able to establish himself as both a possession receiver and a deep threat depending on what’s needed. 12 of his 16 receptions have yielded first downs.
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Cole Is up to His Old Tricks Again
In another edition of “Keelan’s Questions,” Cole asked his teammates a variety of silly questions like:
- Which player are you taking to be your tag team partner in a wrestling match?
- If you were driving 88 miles per hour, how long would it take to go 88 miles?
- Who wouldn’t you let date your sister?
- Who would you let date your sister?
We’ve seen this segment of JetLife before and wrote about his hilarious London version but this one was even better. If you want a laugh, go ahead and watch the two minutes of fun.
Whether it was Jamison Crowder and Brandin Echols being stumped by trick questions or Cole finding out the team’s greatest wrestling contenders (Folorunso Fatukasi, Alijah Vera-Tucker, George Fant and Nathan Shepherd), the wide-out knows how to captivate an audience.
The subtle jokes were the best, like calling kicker Matt Ammendola a homewrecker for choosing White to date his made-up sister. “He has twins, are you serious? Is that what you want to do?” Cole joked.
As we’ve mentioned in the past, players like this are important when building a positive culture. Cole keeps players smiling in the locker room and hopefully, that boosts their effort level on Sundays. After all, laughter is the best medicine.
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