Malachi Corley has work to do to make the 53-man roster with the Jets

A year after Jets receiver Malachi Corley arrived as a third-round pick, his time with the team could be running out.

That’s the takeaway from an item posted earlier today by Rich Cimini of ESPN.com regarding Corley’s current status. With the regime that drafted Corley gone, he needs to prove himself with the new one. Because he missed plenty of the offseason program with an undisclosed injury, he’ll have work to do to get the attention of the new coaching staff.

“He’s going to have to find a way to catch himself up,” offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand recently said, via Cimini.

Coach Aaron Glenn said that Corley has yet to secure any sort of role with the team because he hasn’t been available.

“There’s a plan for him, and we’re going to make sure that we try to utilize him to what he can do best, and we’ve seen that in college,” Glenn said, via Cimini. “Hopefully, he gets well soon, and we get a chance to utilize his skill set.”

Last year, Corley didn’t produce much. In nine games, he had three catches for 16 yards and two rushing attempts for 26 yards, including one that went 18 yards before he dropped the ball short of the goal line, resulting in a turnover against the Texans.

This year, the clock is ticking. As Corley’s position coach makes clear.

“My old coach, Bill Parcells, used to say the first thing you need to be is you need to be available,” receivers coach Shawn Jefferson said, per Cimini. “He’s missed some time, and there’s a learning curve here, so he’s in catch-up mode right now.”

If Corley doesn’t catch up, he won’t catch on. Which means he could be catching a one-way bus out of town, in time.