Getty A Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman trying to sack New York Jets quarterback Mike White.
The New York Jets have added a new piece to the puzzle.
According to NFL Insider Field Yates of ESPN, Gang Green claimed defensive tackle Isaiah Mack off of waivers from the Seattle Seahawks.
The Jets have claimed NT Isaiah Mack off of waivers from the Seahawks. Some interior DL depth as rosters expand to 90 players during the offseason.
However, he won’t be joining the team for a few more weeks. The NFL announced the update in its daily transactional report:
“Per Article 18.1(B)(2) of Constitution and Bylaws, the award of Isaiah Mack, NT, Chattanooga, to the New York Jets is deferred until Monday, February 13, the first business day after the Super Bowl.”
Interesting little wrinkle: #Jets claimed veteran defensive tackle Isaiah Mack off waivers from the #Seahawks today.
However, this move will be “deferred” until Monday, Feb. 13 (1st business day after #SuperBowl).
Isaiah Mack Will Eventually Join Jets Down the Line
The 6-foot-1, 299-pound defensive tackle initially joined the NFL back in 2019 as an undrafted free agent.
Mack spent his first two seasons with the Tenessee Titans and made their 53-man roster. The former Chattanooga appeared in 19 games during that span and started in one of those contests.
After his time with the Titans, he bounced around having a cup of coffee with several different organizations including the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Mack was able to find another home with the Baltimore Ravens on their practice squad in 2021 which lasted over a calendar year.
Most recently the big man spent a few weeks on the Seattle roster.
However, due to a weird roster technicality, he will have to wait to officially join the Jets until the middle of February.
Highlighting a Major Underrated Weakness on Jets in 2023
Field Yates said this addition would provide some “interior” defensive line depth for the Jets 90-man roster.
It was an issue this past season and it’s going to be even more evident this offseason.
Essentially since every interior Jets defensive lineman not named Quinnen Williams is set to reach unrestricted free agency this spring.
That list includes Sheldon Rankins, Solomon Thomas, and Nathan Shepherd.
Rankins had a huge bounceback year in 2022, Thomas was overall disappointing, and Shepherd is much better than the fans think he is.
Head coach Robert Saleh seemed excited at the prospect of bringing a lot of these guys back so we’ll have to see who they’re able to retain.
The only players that can fill that role that are currently still on the roster is Micheal Clemons, John Franklin-Myers, and Tanzel Smart.
Smart is on a reserve/future contract as a member of the 90-man roster ahead of offseason training activities. Clemons and JFM have the flexibility to play both inside and out on the Jets’ defensive line.
Gang Green doesn’t possess many true straight-up defensive tackles on the roster and that has to change.
Normally when you think of the Jets, the defensive line is a popular pick for one of the deepest positional groups on the roster. However when you consider the quantity and quality of the position, the Jets like keeping the shelves fully stocked.
It won’t earn much fanfare during the offseason whether that be in free agency, the trade market, or even the 2023 NFL draft but it will be a sneaky priority for this regime over the next handful of months.