Well, that didn’t take long.
The New York Jets parted ways with wide receiver Quentin Skinner for the final time earlier this week. He was waived, so Skinner was subject to waivers. According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Buffalo Bills claimed him.
The Bills confirmed the transaction on social media. Buffalo claimed Skinner, and in a corresponding roster move, they parted ways with wide receiver Deven Thompkins.
Jumping Ship, but No Brain Drain to Worry About
When a player crosses enemy lines to a divisional opponent, eyebrows are always raised.
Skinner, 24, spent the last year and a half with the Jets. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas.
Whenever a player jumps from one team to another, you have to worry about a potential competitive advantage. In this case, that seems less important as a detail.
The Jets do play the Bills twice every year, with both teams being inside the AFC East. However, this season, the Jets don’t play Buffalo until Weeks 10 and 18.
Whatever information Skinner may have acquired over the last couple of months likely won’t translate to much of an advantage, if any, by the time these two teams square off.
Jets Did Skinner a Solid
When a player gets handed their pink slip, it isn’t a good feeling. That has to be especially true for Skinner, who was cut twice in the span of a month.
He was waived by the Jets with an injury designation. Skinner didn’t get claimed by a team and reverted to the Jets’ injured reserve. If he didn’t negotiate a settlement with the team, he would have been ruled out for the season.
However, the team and Skinner reached a settlement that allowed him to hit waivers for a second time. That gave him a chance to play this season. The Bills were the team to give him that shot heading into training camp at the end of the month.
Wide Receiver Room Seems Pretty Set
If the Jets keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster, it seems like we know all of the names in play:
If final roster cuts were tomorrow, this would likely be the final wide receiver group. The good news is for the other receivers on the Jets’ roster is final cuts aren’t tomorrow.
Training camp and three preseason games should provide plenty of opportunities for those players to shake things up and make things difficult on the coaching staff, who have to decide who to keep and who to let go.
The shakiest members of this Jets wide receiver room are Smith, heading into year No. 2, and veteran Tim Patrick.
Smith had a rough rookie campaign, but it’s hard to discern whether that was because of his own problems or that he was affected by poor quarterback play. Patrick brings plenty of experience and has connections to both Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. Perhaps that provides an inside track on making the final 53-man roster.
Bills Claim Recently Cut Jets WR Off Waivers Before Camp