Jets’ John Metchie III lastly has dream alternative

At two totally different factors, John Metchie III’s soccer future was in flux.

Any of the potential he’d flashed pale into the background.

As a freshman at Saint James Faculty in 2014, Metchie came upon about an enlarged coronary heart situation that sidelined him for a lot of the season.

Then, after already tearing his ACL within the 2021 SEC Championship recreation, medical doctors identified Metchie with acute promyelocytic leukemia earlier than his first coaching camp with the Texans in 2022, and he missed his whole rookie yr.

Mike Nonetheless, his assistant coach in highschool who retains in contact with Metchie, vividly remembers the conversations after the guts situation, asking, “Is that this it?” It was a fluke scenario — “You’re used to ankle accidents,” Nonetheless mentioned.

The leukemia was out of nowhere too, present Saint James head coach and former assistant Colin Ponder mentioned.

However Metchie fought again from each. He blossomed at Saint James, spent a prep yr at The Peddie Faculty and joined a stacked receiver room at Alabama. He returned to observe with the Texans in 2023, logged his first video games that yr and caught his first landing move the next season.

If the diagnoses have been stuffed with uncertainty and concern, then the milestones on his journey again served as emotional touchpoints.

Metchie’s expertise and his feel-good story hit obstacles to the sector, although. Proficient receivers rooms, most not too long ago that includes the Eagles’ A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, blocked his lane to constant snaps.

However after getting traded to the Jets this week with a 2027 sixth-round choose in alternate for cornerback Michael Carter II and a 2027 seventh-round choose, Metchie has maybe his clearest path to the lineup but.

Gang Inexperienced’s depth has been a difficulty all yr, and prime choices Garrett Wilson and Josh Reynolds entered the bye week injured. So on his third crew in 10 weeks, Metchie has an opportunity to lastly turn into a model of the receiver everybody anticipated.

“Proper now within the NFL, he’s dying for that shot,” Nonetheless mentioned Friday. “I feel he’s been, since Alabama, in receiver rooms which have been unbelievably stacked. I’m not saying that in New York, that’s not the case, however I really feel like there’s a chance for him to be concerned far more — and I feel that’s what we’re all anxious for for him.”

Final week, Nonetheless knew one thing was up. He’d discovered clips of the Eagles observe that appeared to point out Metchie working towards with the first-team offense, and with Brown set to overlook their recreation Sunday, Nonetheless anticipated an elevated variety of snaps after Metchie had logged simply seven mixed the earlier two weeks and 22 for the season.

However then Metchie solely appeared for 9 offensive snaps and didn’t log a goal.

Two days later, Nonetheless came upon concerning the commerce. He immediately texted Metchie, “J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets,” and when the pair spoke that day, Nonetheless sensed his former participant’s pleasure about getting one other shot.

“I feel he’s anxious to be put right into a system the place these skills matter,” Nonetheless mentioned. “Not that they didn’t matter anyplace else, however I feel he simply desires to be a contributor greater than a celebrity.”

There have been loads of moments when Metchie’s ceiling actually appeared to push into the higher tier, although. He shared wideout depth charts at Alabama with names that included Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle and Jameson Williams.

He collected 1,142 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 96 catches as a senior in 2021 earlier than tearing his ACL.

When the Crimson Tide crushed a Justin Fields- and Garrett Wilson-led Ohio State crew within the nationwide championship recreation the earlier yr, Metchie contributed eight catches for 81 yards. His new quarterback and receiving companion witnessed what he might add on the game’s largest stage firsthand.

Metchie caught 16 passes for 158 yards as soon as he returned from leukemia therapy in 2023 earlier than including 254 receiving yards the next yr whereas sharing targets in Houston with Nico Collins and Tank Dell. He brings juice, Devin Singletary, his Texans teammate in 2023, informed The Put up’s Ryan Dunleavy, somebody who can run all of the routes and be savvy.

It’s all about discovering the correct scenario, with a sputtering Jets offense his newest place to assemble a constant position.

And when he does, Singletary mentioned, “The sky’s the restrict, for positive.”

“You don’t want that on anyone,” Singletary mentioned of Metchie’s 2023 return. “However for him to make it out of that and nonetheless have the ability to do what he likes to do and do it at a excessive stage, it’s large. It’s actual large. It was actually emotional, however he a champ, man, and he’s nonetheless proving it. He’s gonna proceed to show it.”

— The Put up’s Ryan Dunleavy contributed reporting