Jarvis Landry wants to be used as a returner

Written by Luis Sung | Twitter: @FLSportDebater
Second-round draft pick Jarvis Landry has shown that he has the potential to be an amazing talent as a wide receiver so far during these past few weeks of training camp, but during the game against the Falcons last Friday, he also showed that he can be used as a returner as well, something that not many people were expecting.

“We knew he didn't have a lot of game experience,” Special teams coach Darren Rizzi said. “When our scouts and front office people worked him out, we knew that was something he could do, although he hadn't done it in games. We worked him out, we saw him do it in a workout. ... The range and the ball skills on a punt returner, you don’t need a long time to figure that out. It’s kind of one of those things (where) you either have it or you don’t. He’s a natural catching the ball. He’s got very, very good hands, so even if the ball is away from his body he does a pretty good job of securing it. And then watching him as an offensive player in the open field, you feel like if you can get the ball in his hands and get him in the open space, he’s got a chance to make a big play.”

Ever since training camp started, Landry has been getting work in as a returner, and he's excited about getting the opportunity.

“I love it, I love it,” Landry said. “It’s one of those things I guess for some (guys to) raise their draft stock. For me it’s one of those things that I embrace. It’s one of those things that I only had in college for a while. I’m real into special teams. Wherever the team needs me, I’ll play. Being the number two returner at LSU and returning every now and then and finally getting the chance to do it in an NFL game was real exciting. Real exciting. Just the opportunity itself, try to take advantage of it.” 

Landry clearly has play-making ability, and the thing that should always be thought about when referring to play-makers is how often can the team get the ball in his hands. As a returner, he would definitely get plenty of opportunities to have the ball in his hands and make a big play.

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