The New York Jets have added a player with some name power.
On Wednesday, July 23, ahead of the first training camp practice, the team announced the signing of offensive lineman Samuel Jackson.
Jackson, 26, originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Central Florida in 2023. He is listed at 6-foot-5 and tips the scales at 325 pounds.
“[He] started 45 games in six college seasons at Central Florida. The two-year team captain started all 14 games in 2022 and was named a first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection by Pro Football Focus,” Jets editorial contributor Susanna Weir wrote in a press release.
“Jackson originally signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and was waived by the team prior to the 2023 season. He most recently played with the Houston Roughnecks of the UFL,” she revealed.
Not exactly the same credentials as Samuel L. Jackson, the highest-grossing live-action actor of all time, but the Jets will take what they can get.
Jets Execute Corresponding Roster Move, Give Update on Rookie
On Tuesday, July 22, the Jets veterans reported to training camp, joining the rookies who showed up a few days earlier.
One of those veterans who reported was offensive lineman Obinna Eze. He was captured by the Jets’ social media team walking into the building with a big smile on his face. Hours later, he walked out of it with his Jets tenure over.
When the Jets announced the move on Tuesday, they didn’t immediately share a corresponding roster move. NFL teams are allowed to have a maximum of 90 players during training camp. The Jets have a roster exemption for German big man Leander Wiegand because he comes from the NFL’s international pathway program.
Technically, the Jets are allowed to have 91 players for training camp, and the signing of Jackson fills that void left by Eze.
On Wednesday, July 23, the Jets also announced that they have taken rookie undrafted free agent linebacker Aaron Smith off of “the Active/NFI list and onto the active roster.”
He was originally placed on that list on July 19 with an “NFI designation,” which is a non-football injury or illness when rookies reported to training camp.
Typically, for rookies, that is an injury or illness that occurred while they were playing college football before entering the NFL.
“After leading the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with 92 tackles (11 TFL) and adding 5 sacks, Smith posted a 4.58 40-yard time and South Carolina State’s pro day. He signed with the Jets on May 9,” Weir shared in a press release.
Social Media Reacts to Jackson Addition by Jets
“Starting OT at UCF and played the entire season in UFL this spring,” Connie Carberg, the first female scout in NFL history, said on X previously Twitter.
“I’ve had it with these mutha—in losses on this mutha—in team,” NFL draft analyst Anthony Russo jokingly said.
Jets Sign Big OL With the Same Name as a Famous Actor