Getty Former Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey reacting in the middle of an NFL game.
The New York Jets have added some more Brutus Beefcake to its defensive line rotation.
Gang Green announced on X previously Twitter that they signed former Cleveland Browns fourth-round draft pick Perrion Winfrey to the practice squad.
In a corresponding move, the green and white cut ties with defensive lineman Bruce Hector.
Practice squad move: We’ve signed DL Perrion Winfrey and released DL Bruce Hector.
Hector was with the Jets over the summer and started his career with the Eagles after signing on as an undrafted free agent.
Jets Bring in a Talented Piece of Clay to Work With
The Jets were hurting for interior depth on the defensive line after losing veteran Al Woods for the season with a torn Achilles.
Winfrey is only 23 years of age and is overflowing with talent and potential.
However, some off-the-field issues derailed his career with the Browns and ultimately he was released in July.
I asked Jim Nagy the Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl what he thought of Winfrey who participated in the annual college football all-star event back in 2022.
“Super disruptive. Combo of length and twitch were hard to handle at 3-tech. Was a completely different eval from Oklahoma tape where they used him as a 0 NT. Also one of the most competitive guys we’ve had in past five years. He has wired on gameday. Talent isn’t the issue. Hope it works with NYJ,” Nagy explained on X previously Twitter.
@BoyGreen25 Super disruptive. Combo of length and twitch were hard to handle at 3-tech. Was a completely different eval from Oklahoma tape where they used him as a 0 NT. Also one of the most competitive guys we’ve had in past five years. He has wired on gameday. Talent isn’t the issue. Hope…
In 13 games with the Browns during his rookie season, Winfrey recorded half a sack, two pass deflections, and finished with 22 total tackles.
Saleh Breaks Silence on Signing, Shares Expectations for Winfrey
Saleh was asked about the Winfrey signing during his media availability on Wednesday, November 8.
“We had him at the Senior Bowl, absolutely loved him at the Senior Bowl. He was a guy that we were thinking about drafting, we ended up taking [Jeremy] Ruckert, which has been good, Ruckert is awesome,” Saleh revealed.
“Perrion is not a bad person. Sometimes players make dumb mistakes. Sometimes they are not good at life to start their football career, but it is not because he is a bad person. Just making silly immature decisions. A lot of the stuff that he has been accused of has been wiped clean where they realized that it was all lies for him. As far as the person, he is a good man he just has to figure out how to make better decisions.”
#Jets HC Robert Saleh was asked about the decision to sign DL Perrion Winfrey (@pdontplay):
Said they ‘absolutely loved him’ at the @seniorbowl + was a guy they were considering drafting but they went with TE Jeremy Ruckert instead + ‘Perrion isn’t a bad person, sometimes…
Saleh argued that with the talent and depth of the Jets D-Line group, Winfrey “will find the right path.”
One of the things the Jets coaching staff truly values in player evaluation is the love of the game.
“Perrion is a tremendous talent but he is also someone that loves the game of football. I think he has realized that he can lose ball. He can lose what he loves if he doesn’t take care of the things that he needs to take care of off the field. [Winfrey] has a love for football that I think he realizes he needs to protect a little bit better. We’re going to give him the opportunity to show that he wants to protect it, while growing in a group that I think that can maximize who he is and the type of player that he can be.”