Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Jeremy Maclin has shown that he can be a very good wide receiver. The New York Jets should considering Maclin if he becomes a free agent on March 11.

The Jets’ wide receiving corps during the 2013 season was horrendous. There was only one consistent wide receiver and that was Jeremy Kerley.

Kerley is a good slot receiver because of his ability to run crossing routes. However, he is not talented enough to be the Jets’ bona fide number one wide receiver.

They have two other wide receivers that could be considered number one wide receivers, but there are flaws with both of them. One of the wide receivers is Santonio Holmes.

Holmes used to be the Jets’ best wide receiver, but he has only played 15 games the past two seasons. The Jets cannot rely on him to be the number one wide receiver because he is injury-prone and he will turn 30-years-old in March.

The other wide receiver is Stephen Hill. Hill has the size and strength to be the Jets’ number one wide receiver, but he struggles with inconsistency.

Hill will be entering his third-year next season, but he has a tendency to drop ‘easy’ catches. These drops had a tendency to frustrate the Jets’ quarterbacks and head coach Rex Ryan.

The Jets have a young quarterback with a lot of potential in Geno Smith. Smith struggled in his rookie season, but it was not entirely his fault.

Smith’s receiving corps struggled to consistently get separation from the defense. This forced Smith to hold onto the football longer than he wanted to, which led to him throwing 21 interceptions.

He did show that he can make precise passes when the receivers created separation. Smith could really use a number one wide receiver and Maclin could be the answer.

Maclin has been productive in his brief playing career with the Philadelphia Eagles. This included a fantastic 2010 season.

He had 70 catches for 964 yards and 10 touchdowns. He helped quarterback Michael Vick have the best season of his career.

Maclin has a tendency to create separation from the defense, which allows him to accumulate many catches and yards. Smith needs a wide receiver that can do that.

It is not a guarantee that Maclin will be a free agent on March 14. Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Jan. 6 that Maclin prefers to stay with the Eagles.

Maclin has stated that he is willing to sign a one-year deal, according to CSNPhilly.com:

I understand it could be a possibility that [the ACL tear] may scare some teams off, or a team may want to do a one-year deal as opposed to a long-term contract,” Maclin told CSN’s Derrick Gunn in an exclusive interview Monday. “That’s the game, that’s the business.”

The Jets could solve one of their off-season needs by signing Maclin. They will not be able to negotiate a contract with Maclin, if he enters free agency, until March 14.