The New York Jets have made some roster moves following the second training camp practice.
Gang Green announced on social media that they have signed defensive back Tanner McCalister. In a corresponding move, they have waived rookie linebacker Jared Bartlett.
Jets Make a Swap of Defensive Players in the Middle of Camp
McCalister, 25, is another former Ohio State product. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
During his rookie season, he was with the Cleveland Browns on their practice squad. This past season he was the the Denver Broncos.
Over the last two years, he has appeared in six games at the NFL level. While he is listed as a defensive back, he has only played 19 snaps on defense. Where McCalister has really cut his teeth is on special teams.
He appeared in 44% of the special teams snaps for the Browns in 2023 and 70% of the special teams snaps for the Broncos in 2024, per Pro Football Reference.
McCalister crossed over with current Jets GM Darren Mougey in Denver last year. He is listed at 5-foot-11 and tips the scales at 191 pounds.
To acquire McCalister, the Jets dumped undrafted free agent linebacker Jared Bartlett. He joined the Jets in May following April’s draft.
“He played in 50 games at West Virginia before transferring to Cincinnati for his final college season, where he led the team with 69 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks,” Jets editorial contributor Susanna Weir wrote.
The Start of ‘Origins’ Season 2 Debuts Tonight for Jets
“What does it take to make it to the NFL? How much would you sacrifice to get there? The Emmy-Award winning 1JD Films team returns for a second season of Origins. The sports world will get an up-close look at how the stars of the New York Jets rose to professional football. Shot on location all over the country, Origins takes you to where it all began with the stories of sacrifice and triumph on the road to the NFL,” the Jets announced on their website.
Four Jets players are being featured this year: pass rusher Will McDonald IV, offensive lineman Olu Fashanu, cornerback Michael Carter II, and offensive lineman Joe Tippmann.
Here is the release schedule for each of these episodes.
On Thursday, July 24, season two of the series debuts with McDonald’s origin story at 8 pm. Then episode two drops featuring Fashanu, is released on Sunday, July 27, at 8 pm.
Episode three of season two, featuring Carter, will be revealed on Thursday, July 31, at 8 pm. Finally, episode four, highlighted by Tippmann, will debut on Sunday, August 3, at 8 pm.
This entire series can be watched when they’re fully released on the Jets’ official YouTube channel or their website.
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Origins’ Sneak Peek and Behind the Scenes Chat
I was invited this week to speak with the key Jets people behind the scenes who helped put “Origins” together.
A select group of media members was provided unbelievable access to see how the sausage is made and to participate in an inside access Q&A.
The Jets’ selection process for this series is fascinating.
Seth Bradley, the Jets Director of Feature Productions and Original Programming, told me that at the end of the season, they immediately start the process to see which players they should consider.
The players who made the cut this year were “no brainers”, Bradley told me. A unique part of the selection process for them was the types of players that were chosen.
Most of these players in season two are quiet and keep to themselves. While that would seem like not-so-obvious choices for this series, it was the opposite.
The One Jets Drive team took it as a unique challenge to highlight these players that people don’t know a lot about. It opened up a lot of opportunities to tell stories that people haven’t heard before.
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