If you put together a list of the best wide receivers in the NFL, Robby Anderson probably won’t be on it. In fact, it’d be insane if he were included anywhere near the list. But that doesn’t mean Anderson can’t get there one day, at least according to him. Coming off a season in which he had 50 catches for 752 yards and six touchdowns, and with free agency on the horizon next year, Anderson has his sites set on being the game’s best receiver.
“That was a down year for me,” Anderson said of his performance in 2018. “I know my capabilities. I know what I want to become … and that’s the best receiver in the NFL.”
In fairness, Anderson has already accomplished far more in football than most would have expected. He began his college career at Temple as a defensive back and following a breakout season in 2013, Anderson sat out the 2014 campaign due to academic reasons. But he got his act together in the classroom and returned to Temple for his senior season, falling just short of 1,000 yards receiving despite the year off.
Anderson then had to prove himself all over again. He went undrafted and had to beat out a handful of other receivers for one of the last spots the Jets had on their 53-man roster. He slowly worked his way up the depth chart, starting eight games as a rookie and 15 more in his second pro season in 2017.
After a slow start to the 2018 season while working with rookie Sam Darnold, Anderson slowly grew more comfortable with the young gunslinger. He had one of the best games of his career in a Week 16 loss to the Packers, closing out the season on a high. With head coach Adam Gase taking over the Jets and Anderson having more familiarity with Darnold, he believes he’s ready to take the next step and become one of the NFL’s best receivers. Naturally, the Jets hope that he’s right.
“We’re just going to keep trying to think of ways to get him the ball, ways to create variety in his routes,” Gase said of Anderson. “Instead of just doing one or two things, maybe we can open that thing up to five, six, seven things to where he’s a threat on multiple levels whether it be underneath, intermediate, or down the field.”
At first glance, most people would tell Anderson that he’s dreaming if he expects to become the best receiver in the NFL. But he wouldn’t be the first receiver to seemingly come out of nowhere and become one of the game’s best. Anderson has already come so far, so what’s wrong with him believing that he has it in him to go a little further?