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The New York Jets trimmed their roster from 85 to 80 players on Tuesday, August 24.
Gang Green released a pair of wide receivers in Manasseh Bailey and Josh Malone. In addition, they got rid of former BYU hog molly and ex-Zach Wilson teammate, Tristen Hoge.
The green and white also released veteran linebacker, Edmond Robinson. He played in the first two preseason games for the Jets.
While most of these roster cuts seemed pretty routine, the last corresponding roster move was an absolute stunner.
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Jets Placed Another EDGE Rusher on the Shelf
On Tuesday the Jets placed veteran pass rusher, Vinny Curry, on the “Reserve/Non-Football Injury list.”
Initially, when Curry was first injured during training camp it seemed like he would be back by the latest Week 2 and head coach Robert Saleh called that a “conservative” prediction.
Fast forward a few weeks and now Curry is suddenly being ruled out for the season.
Rich Cimini of ESPN was first on the news:
Essentially if the Jets would’ve waited another week they could’ve placed the veteran pass rusher on the NFI list and left the door open for a 2021 return. Since they didn’t do that, Curry’s run as a member of the Jets is over.
A lot of people have been asking why the green and white would do this? The only logical thing that makes sense is the Curry injury was worse than they expected.
He signed a one-year deal for $1.3 million and will be a free agent once again next March.
There were initially some conflicting reports out there that Curry could return mid-season, but those flames of hope were extinguished by the NFL rulebook.
The Jets originally had Curry on the active/NFI list and moved him to the reserve/NFI list which made him ineligible to play in 2021.
A Strength Has Suddenly Turned Into a Weakness
A few weeks ago the Jets appeared to be overflowing with talent in the front four with guys like Carl Lawson, Curry, and a slew of other talented defenders.
Now both Lawson and Curry are done for the year and several other key cogs are battling injuries:
- Ronald Blair (hamstring)
- Quinnen Williams (coming off of offseason foot surgery)
- Sheldon Rankins (leg)
On top of those situations, the Jets also lost their starting linebacker Jarrad Davis until at least Week 6 of the 2021 season.
This isn’t ideal by any means and this also adds fuel to the fire that was started by Adam Schefter of ESPN who said the Jets would be in the market for a pass rusher ahead of the season.
It’s now paramount that the Jets immediately comb through the most recent NFL roster cuts and start scouring the trade market.
Gang Green doesn’t need an EDGE rusher to compete for championships in 2021, this is about proper evaluation.
Saleh relies on his front four to create pressure with minimal window dressing, if they can’t do that, then it’s impossible to properly evaluate the rest of this defense.
The cornerbacks will get torched early and often and the young linebackers won’t get a chance to do what they’re supposed to do. A pass rush is a necessary component to the rest of this machine working smoothly.
Here are a few options the team could consider in free agency and the trade market:
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