Jets expect Robby Anderson to have even bigger impact this season

Robby Anderson’s disruptive offseason was followed by a relatively quiet preseason, but Todd Bowles and the Jets are confident he can be an impact player when the games finally count.

The wide receiver, who might be facing league discipline after a January arrest, has had one catch each in the first three preseason games. It's believed that he’ll be a perfect target for Sam Darnold whenever the rookie quarterback ascends to regular season starter, but he’s yet to show that in the game that Darnold has started.

In three preseason games, Anderson had catches of 8, 4, and 11 yards. But no worry, Bowles said. That’s simply because the Jets have been focusing on other parts of their game.

“Our expectations [for Anderson] are no different,” Bowles said. “Obviously, he produced the last two years. We look for him to just keep getting better and better. He works hard every day. His name doesn't come up in the preseason because we are doing a lot of different things, but we see the same Robby we saw a year ago. So, our expectations are high for him.”

Anderson, the undrafted 25-year-old out of Temple, was given his shot in his rookie year, when he took over the starting slot receiver spot for an injured Eric Decker and never looked back. In two seasons, he has 105 catches for 1,528 yards and nine touchdowns. He hasn’t been without his problems, though — the most recent, stemming from a January arrest for reckless driving, for which he was sentenced to six months probation.

According to ESPN, the NFL is still deliberating Anderson’s punishment, if any.

Wolford on the money

John Wolford would be willing to quit his day job.

Wolford, the Wake Forest quarterback that the Jets signed Sunday to likely work with the practice squad, stepped back from a full-time job in private equities to join the team. The former finance major secured a part-time position and “I told them I could be gone any day,” he said.

Wolford, who’s only 6-1, 200 pounds,  was impressive in his senior year at Wake Forest, and set program records for passing yards, total yards and passing touchdowns. He was also recruited by the Alliance for American Football, he said.

“I’m extremely excited,” he said. “I was working for this and I’ve been working for this. I know my time is limited of what I can show and I’m trying to make the most of it . . . I’m all out for football. I’m making sure I’m getting done what I need to get done and be prepared for a shot like this. That’s been my plan all along and beyond that the extra stuff is to break even every month.”

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.