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On Tuesday, August 23 the New York Jets cut their roster from 85 to 80 players. In that process, they released a former fan-favorite safety who has quickly found a new NFL home.
According to the NFL’s transaction wire, Elijah Riley was claimed off of waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers after being cut by Gang Green.
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A New Thing to Get Used To
The Jets originally acquired Riley off of the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad last season. He went from the fringe of an NFL roster to immediately being plugged into the starting lineup for the green and white.
The former Army product ended up starting in seven contests and raised some eyebrows in the building. Heading into this offseason the safety position outside of Jordan Whitehead was wide open for someone to claim.
Unfortunately, he didn’t make that same level of noise in 2022 as he did in 2021. Ultimately he was released during the second wave of roster cuts but landed on his feet after being claimed by the Steelers.
After that news became official on Wednesday, August 24, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said confidently on Twitter that he doesn’t believe Riley will be the last Jets player that “gets claimed by another team” this cycle.
That speaks to what a wonderful job general manager Joe Douglas has done over the last few years improving the talent of the roster.
In the past, it wasn’t uncommon to see the Jets clear their roster out during cuts and watch those players garner zero interest on the open market. Oh, how the times have changed.
More News on the Wire
The latest from the NFL’s transaction wire brought both good and bad news for several former members of the Jets.
We’ll start on a positive note as former Gang Green defensive lineman Tim Ward earned a tryout with the Atlanta Falcons this week.
The veteran defender was initially let go after the first wave of roster cuts last week. Speaking of the Falcons, after working so closely with them during joint practices, don’t be surprised if the Jets pick through their roster scraps next week for a potential diamond in the rough.
Gang Green finally believes they have their kicker situation figured out with veteran Greg Zuerlein winning the job this week. However the same can’t be said for one of their ex-girlfriends.
Matt Ammendola who played the part of a cult hero for a slice of the 2021 season has been searching for his next NFL home for weeks.
The latest visit was with the Houston Texans this week as he tries to find his way back on an NFL roster.
Now for the really bad news as several former Jets were handed their walking papers this week.
26-year-old cornerback, Kyron Brown, spent his first two seasons in the pros with the Jets from 2019 through 2020. Most recently he has been carving out a career with the Dallas Cowboys but that came to an abrupt halt as he was released with an injury settlement.
While down in South Beach, promising defensive back Sheldrick Redwine got dumped by the Miami Dolphins. After some intriguing moments in 2021 with the Jets, the talented defender has been bouncing around ever since.
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