The New York Jets believe their roster is much-improved this season, with better days ahead for one of the most woebegone franchises in football. Other NFL teams have apparently taken notice.
When the Jets cut their roster from 80 to 53 this past Tuesday, seven of the 21 players placed on waivers were claimed by other teams. That is not only an exceptionally high number, it’s more than any other team in the nFL. The Buffalo Bills were second in the league with four players claimed.
In addition, four players cut earlier in training camp were also claimed off waivers. That’s 11 of 31 players, better than 33.3 percent, that other NFL teams believed to be worthy of a waiver claim after New York cut ties with them. Throw in kicker Eddie Pineiro, who was released before cuts and signed with the Carolina Panthers, and that’s 12 players.
Needless to say, that development shines a good light on the Jets.
This is truly absurd. Eleven players were claimed off waivers if you loop in pre-53 cuts
S Elijah Riley (Steelers)
OL Derrick Kelly (Saints)
OLB Hamilcar Rashed (Steelers)
S Jovante Moffatt (Browns) https://t.co/D0tMZrtJys— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) August 31, 2022
“I feel like our personnel staff has done a great job pinpointing the right types of competitors, right type of football character to bring in here, and mix with our coaching staff based on the criteria that we have in terms of what we are looking for,” general manager Joe Douglas said. “After that, you try to get as many good people in the building as you can, and good things are going to start to happen, and I feel like we are progressing there.”
Coach Robert Saleh said he believes the Jets are on the right track after winning four games in his first season in 2021. They won two games the season before in Adam Gase’s New York farewell, and have not had a winning season since 2015. The Jets have not reached the playoffs in 11 seasons, the longest drought in the NFL.
"It's a pretty cool group of youth an experience." – GM Joe Douglas on the current roster pic.twitter.com/L0L7lCZLth
— New York Jets (@nyjets) August 31, 2022
Yet Saleh said this past week that championships are in the Jets future, with the flurry of claims on players his team released an indication of its overall quality.
“I think it's recognized, obviously throughout the league, so you're very comfortable about the depth of the roster and the players,” Saleh said. “We can line up against anybody.”
Two positions the Jets fortified this season showed up in the waiver claims.
New York signed C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin and selected Jeremy Ruckert in the 2022 NFL Draft to vastly improve its tight ends room. There was a fierce battle for the fourth tight end spot on the roster, which was won by converted wide receiver Lawrence Cager. That led to Trevon Wesco, a premier blocker, to be cut and, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN, four teams putting in a waiver claim on him.
Also, a vast upgrade in the secondary (drafting corner Saucer Gardner in the first round, signing free agent corner D.J. Reed and safety Jordan Whitehead) led to three corners (Javelin Guidry, Isiah Dunn and Rachad Wildgoose) and safety Jason Pinnock being claimed off waivers. No one was much interested in the Jets' castoffs from the secondary last season, that’s for sure.
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