Getty A snapshot from the battel between the New York Jets and the New Orleans Saints.
The New York Jets along with the other 31 NFL teams were forced to slice down their rosters from 90 to 85 players.
Shortly after making their necessary moves, the rest of the league scanned the waiver wire for any possible hidden gems. Apparently, one slipped through the cracks and will join the NFC conference.
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A Diamond in the Rough
One of the five cuts the Jets made on Tuesday, August 16 included dumping offensive lineman Derrick Kelly.
The former Florida State product didn’t have to wait long to find a new NFL home. According to Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network, the New Orleans Saints were awarded Kelly off of waivers.
In a corresponding move, they placed Jaleel Johnson on injured reserve.
Saints awarded Derrick Kelly off waivers from Jets, placed Jaleel Johnson on injured reserve
The 26-year-old offensive lineman was trying to break through as a reserve for the Jets but didn’t quite make the cut. Now he will return to where it all started.
Kelly initially entered the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2019. He spent his first two professional seasons with the Saints before splitting time with both New York teams (Giants and Jets respectively) in 2021 and 2022.
According to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic, one of the areas the Jets will be combing the waiver wire for is improvements in the trenches. General manager Joe Douglas is a former offensive lineman and he knows how important depth is upfront.
Whether it be at offensive tackle or on the interior, don’t rule out some musical chairs ahead of the 2022 season if the right opportunity presents itself.
Earning Another Opportunity
The other big news of the week was former Jets pass rusher and draft pick Jordan Jenkins getting dumped by the Houston Texans.
As we later found out it was less so about anything Jenkins did as opposed to giving the former Georgia product a new opportunity with a team.
Wilson also shared that the Las Vegas Raiders kicked the tires with a workout of the veteran defender.
When healthy Jenkins has proven to be a solid rotational piece in a defense. However those recent struggles this offseason put him behind the eight-ball.
Raiders worked out former Texans and Jets defensive end Jordan Jenkins, per a league source
Over the next two weeks, the Jets will have to make some serious changes to the roster. Right now they sit at 85 players, but next week it’ll have to be at 80. Then the following week will be the biggest cut of them all as they trim the roster down to the final 53.
The “final” part of that statement is used very loosely. Even after things are finalized, there is always more movement to be had after that.
Especially when you factor in the expanded 16-man practice squads that have been incorporated since the world COVID pandemic has taken over.
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