Getty New York Jets pass rusher Hamilcar Rashed Jr warming up during training camp.
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh warned fans that with the talent on this team they’ll have to cut some good football players in training camp.
We are already seeing that come to fruition as the Pittsburgh Steelers swiped pass rusher Hamilcar Rashed Jr off of waivers, according to the NFL’s transaction report.
The Jets had released the former Oregon State product earlier this week.
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A Golden Opportunity
Rashed Jr originally joined the Jets as an undrafted free agent following the 2021 class.
The 24-year-old was unable to lock down a spot on the final 53-man roster, but he did enough to impress the coaching staff to land a precious practice squad spot.
Despite his youth and impressive physical gifts, it was going to be even more difficult to crack the roster this offseason for the Jets. Not only do they possess all of the talented players that beat out Rashed last year, but they added even more pieces to the puzzle.
In a way, the Jets really did the young man a solid. By releasing him in early August, they gave him an opportunity to earn his way onto another NFL team’s roster.
Rashed Jr will join a talented Steelers team that is known for its defensive prowess.
This is a brave new world for the Jets. They have a ton of talent at several key positions prior to the official roster cuts coming through.
With that several NFL teams are already circling one Jets drive like a vulture about to strike its prey. Those teams are inevitably waiting for Gang Green to cut that talent so they can come and swipe it away.
Although keep an eye out for the potential of trades as we get closer to the end of August. A strategy that a lot of teams will employ is trading off a player you plan on cutting anyway.
The benefit for the Jets is obvious, get something for the player you’ll lose for nothing anyway. While for the other team, by trading a lower pick they can secure the player’s services without having to play the waiver wire game. Essentially by pulling the trigger on a trade they can cut the line for a minimal cost.
We Have Ourselves a Party
It was a busy day for several former members of the Jets on the NFL’s transaction wire.
Linebacker Brandon Copeland and pass rusher Ronald Blair both had a tryout with the Baltimore Ravens.
Speaking of the Ravens, that will be the opening opponent for the green and white in 2022. Baltimore is considered one of the rare few to be Super Bowl contenders heading into this season.
Which makes it no surprise that they’re an overwhelming favorite against the Jets in every single regard. Las Vegas has the Ravens as a six-point favorite on the road and the ESPN FPI (football power index) analytics gives Baltimore a 73.5 percent chance of coming away with the dub.
A former Jets pass rusher, Jeremiah Attaochu earned a workout with the Arizona Cardinals.
Last but certainly not least, longtime Jets cornerback Darryl Roberts got a tryout with the San Francisco 49ers.
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