Jets Part Ways With Draft Pick, Sign Ex-Panthers LB

Getty Former New York Jets defensive back Jaylen Key warming up ahead of an NFL game.

The New York Jets have thrown Mr. Irrelevant out the door.

Gang Green announced on social media that they have released safety Jaylen Key from the practice squad. The Jets signed safety Jalen Mills and linebacker Brandon Smith in a corresponding move.

There’s a Chance Key Comes Back at a Later Date

Key, 24, was the No. 257 overall pick in the seventh round of April’s draft. The former Alabama product was more commonly referenced as Mr. Irrelevant because he was the final pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

He was with the team for about four months, but Key didn’t make the final 53-man roster. After he cleared waivers, the Jets brought him back on the practice squad.

Ahead of the Week 4 matchup versus the Denver Broncos, the Jets opted for a veteran presence over the rookie in the defensive back room.

It is very difficult to make an NFL roster in general, let alone when your entry path is as a seventh-round draft choice. However considering the Jets’ safety room, Key had a very good path to not only making the roster this year but making an impact.

Key just didn’t make enough plays when those opportunities presented themselves in training camp and throughout the preseason.

Just because he was released this week doesn’t mean his relationship with the Jets is over forever. There are a lot of twists and turns in an NFL season. The team obviously liked him enough to use one of their precious draft picks on him.

Key is a name to watch to be brought back at a later date on the practice squad depending on how other things shake out.

The Jets Add… Another Brandon Smith?

The Jets added Brandon Smith in a flurry of roster moves at the beginning of this week.

Smith becomes, well, the second Brandon Smith on the Jets’ practice squad. Throughout the offseason, they had wide receiver Brandon Smith who made several splash plays throughout the preseason.

However, this Brandon Smith is a linebacker who originally entered the league as the No. 120 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Smith was selected by the Carolina Panthers out of Penn State.

Smith is listed at 6-foot-3 and tips the scales at 241 pounds.

Coming out of high school, Smith, was one of the top recruits in the country. He was a five-star, top-20 overall prospect who was named a Butkus Award Finalist as a senior, per Chad Reuter of the NFL Media Group.

As a high school senior, he finished with 11 sacks, six blocked kicks, five forced fumbles, 30 tackles for loss, and accumulated 165 total tackles.

NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein said, “Smith possesses five-star traits and is extremely athletic, but those traits tend to go to waste on tape. There is a consistent lack of fundamentals that leave him out of position or blocked on too many plays. He lacks decisiveness and an aggressive demeanor that are fundamental in becoming an NFL linebacker.”

In other words, he is a talented piece of clay that needs to be molded. That should be exciting news for Jets fans because the defensive coaching staff has a long track record of success getting the most out of their players.

Smith spent a season and a half with the Panthers. He had most recently spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2023 through the early portion of September before getting cut on September 10.