Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh staring off into the distance during an NFL game.
On Saturday before the New York Jets–Buffalo Bills Week 9 matchup, Gang Green made an interesting roster move.
They signed a relatively unknown safety named Jared Mayden to the team’s practice squad. Most people who saw this transaction just kept scrolling on social media, but it actually raised a few eyebrows.
We’ve signed TE Kenny Yeboah to the active roster.
OL Conor McDermott has been elevated from the practice squad and S Jared Mayden has been signed to the practice squad.
Robert Saleh Doing Something He Said He Would Never Do
Mayden prior to signing with the Jets had spent the last month with the Bills.
The former Alabama product signed with Buffalo back on October 10 and was with the team through November 4.
Several fans on social media accused the Jets of trying to gain a competitive advantage with the addition.
@SalSports Gotta love the commitment to gain any advantage they can.
Typically teams will sign players who were recently on the opponent’s roster they are about to play against. By bringing them in, the Jets in this case can try to gain all sorts of information from playbook knowledge to certain tendencies from practices and games.
Now you may be asking yourself why would this be an issue. Teams do this all the time. They absolutely do however last year ahead of the Week 1 matchup versus the Carolina Panthers, head coach Robert Saleh seemingly looked down on Carolina for pulling a similar stunt.
The Jets cut backup quarterback James Morgan who had spent years with the team in their final roster cuts. Carolina decided to sign him to their practice squad ahead of their scheduled matchup with the Jets.
“Teams do it all the time, I don’t know if it’s something we’d ever do,” Saleh told the media about the Panthers roster decision.
#Jets HC Robert Saleh on the #Panthers signing James Morgan to their practice squad & the potential concern of a competitive advantage ahead of Week 1 (#NYJvsCAR), & also throwing a little shade saying ‘I don’t know if that’s something we’d ever do’ 👀 #TakeFlight
What kind of advantage Mayden could possibly provide less than 24 hours out from the game is beyond me but it seems like Saleh had a change of heart on the subject.
Jets-Bills Matchup Is a Massive Opportunity
I don’t blame the Jets because they will need every advantage they can get in this contest.
However, there has been a mood change with the Jets as the season has developed. Quarterback Zach Wilson was speaking in a pre-production meeting for CBS earlier this season and said before the season, road trips to Green Bay and Denver back-to-back appeared incredibly daunting.
Although as the team progressed through the season they told themselves we can totally beat these guys and their confidence in themselves grew exponentially. Wilson told the CBS crew off camera that if we (the Jets) lose it’s an upset and that attitude has permeated the locker room.
It has especially rung true as the Jets prepared for this Week 9 matchup with the Bills. The consensus Super Bowl favorite and MVP favorite (Josh Allen) would make any team reevaluate where they think they are as a team.
“These guys are good, but we’re a good team,” Wilson told the media. “Things are getting closer every week. I think for us it’s just taking on the challenge of understanding that we can beat these guys.”
“Those guys are good, but we’re a good team. Things are getting closer every week. It’s going out there and taking on the challenge of understanding that we can beat these guys.”
Zach Wilson on matching up against the Bills:
A lot of folks in local and national media have poked fun at the Jets’ 5-3 start to the season. Excuses have emerged about them playing lesser teams and getting lucky, however, none of those will exist if they find a way to beat Buffalo on Sunday.