Jets Sign 2 Including XFL Defensive Player of the Year, Cut 4-Year NFL Vet

The New York Jets have begun shuffling the bottom third of the roster a bit after their first preseason game.

The transactions started at linebacker, where two veterans replaced two injured youngsters. Then on August 7, the franchise decided to cut fan favorite quarterback Chris Streveler — who was also injured during the Hall of Fame game.

With an opening on the 90-man roster after Streveler’s release, the Jets announced not one but two signings on August 8, coming to terms with DE Pita Taumoepenu and DT Bruce Hector. They also cut DT Isaiah Mack in a corresponding move.

Hector has bounced around the NFL and XFL since 2018 according to team reporter Ethan Greenberg. He’s a former UDFA journeyman that profiles as a practice squad veteran at best, with seven career NFL tackles and 0.5 sacks.

Taumoepenu offers more upside as the XFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. With the “Vegas Vipers,” the pass rusher accumulated 7.5 sacks, eight tackles for a loss, and four forced fumbles in just 10 games played.

For comparison, Hector only registered 16 total tackles (zero sacks or TFLs) in his 10 XFL outings this year.

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Ex-Jets Player Says Pita Taumoepenu ‘Can Really Play’

The Jet Press’ Mike Mitchell was one of the first to notice the Taumoepenu signing, which was first revealed by the XFL’s X account on August 7.

He’s an outside linebacker/D-end that will most likely line up in a Jermaine Johnson type role for head coach Robert Saleh’s 4-3 defense. For most of these edges, the primary objective is to rush the passer and disrupt on running plays, but it will be interesting to see what else Taumoepenu brings to the table.

As The Jet Press noted, he’s a former sixth-round selection of the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 who just turned 29 in March. After seeing their post, ex-NYJ defensive lineman Leger Douzable responded that “Pita can really play and also has experience in this scheme” — citing the Saleh ties with the Niners.

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Jets Release DT Isaiah Mack Ahead of Joint Practices With the Panthers

After the first couple of preseason games, coaching staffs start trimming some fat off the roster. The Jets have been doing it all week and Mack was just the latest to get his walking papers.

General manager Joe Douglas claimed the nose tackle off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks in January, but he was quickly muscled out of a real role when the Jets signed fellow ex-Seahawks Al Woods and Quinton Jefferson.

With New York, Mack was nothing more than a practice squad candidate, but he didn’t really do much to gain attention over the first few weeks of training camp. His last bit of NFL in-game experience came with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021 and 2022, appearing in two regular season outings both seasons.

Mack has 2.5 career sacks, as well as 17 total tackles (three for a loss) and four QB hits according to Pro Football Reference. He’s immediately replaced by Hector — although the newcomer isn’t necessarily a nose tackle — who joins an interior D-line that includes Quinnen Williams, Woods, Jefferson, Solomon Thomas, Tanzel Smart and Marquiss Spencer.

For now, it appears Saleh and Douglas will continue to rotate these last few roster spots until some of the new candidates impress. Taumoepenu and Hector are next up in that regard, and their initial opportunity should come during joint practices with the Carolina Panthers.

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