The New York Jets have cut their roster down to 53 players and sorted through the waiver wire, which means the next step in their process involves signing players to their practice squad. The Jets have a handful of players they will likely keep around now that they have passed through waivers, but the front office will also explore external options.
With the moves continuing to roll in, New York has reportedly made an unexpected addition to its team. In an effort to shore up their running back depth, the Jets signed undrafted rookie Al-Jay Henderson to their practice squad. The catch, though, is that Henderson didn’t even spend training camp with a team during the summer, making his addition a rather eye-opening move.
Jets Sign Al-Jay Henderson to Practice Squad
Henderson spent all five of his collegiate seasons playing for the Buffalo Bulls, but it was his final two years with the team that really led to him catching the attention of NFL teams. In 2024, Henderson enjoyed a breakout campaign, as he racked up 1,078 yards and nine touchdowns on 204 carries, while also catching 19 passes for 238 yards and another score.
In his final year with the Bulls, Henderson wasn’t as effective as he was the year before (182 CAR, 755 YDS, 6 TD, 25 REC, 181 YDS, 1 TD), but his track record of success was enough to earn him consideration from NFL teams. Henderson ultimately went undrafted, but he earned a pair of tryouts with the Jets and Kansas City Chiefs.
Those tryouts came and went without any deal for Henderson, and he ended up going through all of training camp without finding a new home, which wasn’t exactly a good sign for his NFL hopes. In a surprising twist, though, New York is signing Henderson to its practice squad, even though he didn’t participate in training camp for them or any of the league’s other 31 teams.
A unique one: The Jets are signing RB Al-Jay Henderson to the practice squad,” Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “Henderson went undrafted and attended two rookie camps as a tryout (including NYJ) but remained unsigned all summer. Recently worked out for NYJ and now the NJ native lands a Week 1 practice-squad gig.”
Jets Decide to Take a Flier on Al-Jay Henderson
The addition of Henderson is surprising for a couple of reasons. The biggest of them all, though, is pretty obvious. There are tons of running backs who had at least participated in training camp that were up for grabs, but instead, the Jets opted to go with Henderson. You would have figured if New York was truly interested in Henderson, it would have signed him at some point during training camp.
Instead, Henderson will be forced to play catch-up as he gets his start with the Jets, but being a practice squad player, he does have a bit of runway when it comes to getting himself fully up to speed. Henderson’s arrival is a bit of an intriguing situation, and even though he’s just a practice squad player, he’s a player worth keeping tabs on as the year unfolds.
Jets Sign Undrafted Running Back to Practice Squad in Unexpected Move