Undrafted rookie free agent Lawrence Cager is loaded with potential - and some questions
There’s a lot to like about undrafted rookie free agent Lawrence Cager, another New York Jets addition over the weekend with a lot to prove but plenty of upside. The Jets signed Cager as an undrafted rookie free agent on Sunday.
Potential is an interesting word around the NFL. Scouts love the term. General managers…not so much. Often times potential means something left unfulfilled or wanting. For Cager, the potential he left on the college football field has nothing to do with wasted effort but rather an untimely injury.
At the time of an ankle injury late last season, Cager led Georgia with 33 catches for 476 yards. He transferred to the program last season after spending his previous three seasons at Miami.
At Miami, his performances were a bit underwhelming, his best season coming in 2018 when he had 21 catches for 374 yards and six touchdowns. The situation in Miami wasn’t ideal and a quarterback situation seemingly forever in flux didn’t help matters.
Two weeks before he suffered his ankle injury, Cager had seven catches for 132 yards and a touchdown in a 24-17 win over Florida. He followed that up the next week with six catches for 93 yards against Missouri.
At 6’5 and 220 pounds along with a wingspan of 33 3/8 inches, Cager has all the physical tools plus, yes, potential. At Georgia, he showed a different level than at Miami, putting up solid numbers. The question remains injuries as he started just six of nine games and missed the end of the year with that ankle injury.
If Cager is healthy from his ankle surgery late last year – and can stay healthy – he’s an intriguing addition to the wide receiver room. The Jets need bodies at the position and Cager is the type of player who can help move the chains.
He’s fluid in his movement and at Georgia, framed up well against defensive backs. He isn’t a burner but showed last year that he can be a solid piece of the offense.
Cager is football quick and able to get separation down the field.
Cager is a physical wide receiver with an NFL ready frame. He rises well for contested balls. For a wide receiver his size, he also has good body control and awareness. Given these attributes, he can develop possibly into a good red zone option for the Jets.
Injuries may have derailed his career to this point, but they are also what landed him here in New York rather than being a draft pick. This is an intriguing rookie free agent for the Jets, one who if the pieces can come together, might be able to contribute. If he can get healthy and stay on the field, then Cager has a chance to make this roster and make a go of it.
