The Jets' initial 53-man roster is set.
General manager Joe Douglas and his personnel staff made 37 moves ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. Eastern deadline.
In a crowded defensive line room, undrafted free agents Leonard Taylor III, Eric Watts and Braiden McGregor all made the team. They flashed throughout the summer, highlighted by their performance in the preseason finale against the Giants where they combined for 4 sacks against their local rival.
Veteran pass rusher Takk McKinley, who led the Jets with 2.5 sacks last Saturday, also made the initial 53-man roster as Douglas kept 10 defensive linemen (Jermaine Johnson is listed as a linebacker).
"I know in the past I've made mistakes on the field, off the field, but everybody can grow," McKinley, a first-round pick in 2017, said after Saturday's game. "I am very thankful that [DC Jeff Ulbrich] gave me the opportunity just to show the Jets organization what I'm capable of. He's a great man because he didn't have to do that. Every day in training camp, I gave it my all. In the game I gave it my all and we'll see what happens."
At wide receiver, second-year players Jason Brownlee and Irvin Charles made the initial 53 along with Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, Allen Lazard, Malachi Corley and Xavier Gipson.
Israel Abanikanda made the cut at running back, coming off an impressive performance against the Giants where he had a 45-yard touchdown run and finished with a team-leading 83 rushing yards. The Green & White's stable also consists of Breece Hall and rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis.
On the initial 53-man roster, the Jets are carrying two quarterbacks -- Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor -- and 10 offensive linemen.
The Jets placed DT Leki Fotu and TE Kenny Yeboah on injured reserve, and they will miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season. Rookie QB Jordan Travis has been placed on the reserve/non-football injury list.
"His rehab is going to be a little longer than we anticipated, but he's in a great place," Robert Saleh said of Travis, who broke his leg last November while playing for Florida State. "He's in every meeting, he goes to all the walkthroughs. Hopefully it's something we can revisit later in the year."
Douglas & Co. can start to fill out the Green & White's practice squad Wednesday afternoon once the waiver window is closed.
See the 53-man roster for the Jets leading up to the 2024 season.
RB Israel Abanikanda
S Tony Adams
RB Braelon Allen
LB Zaire Barnes
TE Brenden Bates
CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse
CB Michael Carter II
WR Irvin Charles
S Chuck Clark
DL Micheal Clemons
TE Tyler Conklin
WR Malachi Corley
S Ashtyn Davis
RB Isaiah Davis
CB Brandin Echols
T Olu Fashanu
CB Sauce Gardner
WR Xavier Gipson
RB Breece Hall
LS Thomas Hennessy
EDGE Jermaine Johnson
DL Javon Kinlaw
WR Allen Lazard
EDGE Will McDonald
EDGE Braiden McGregor
DL Takk McKinley
OL Max Mitchell
P Thomas Morstead
T Morgan Moses
LB C.J. Mosley
OL Xavier Newman
S Isaiah Oliver
CB D.J. Reed
QB Aaron Rodgers
TE Jeremy Ruckert
OL Wes Schweitzer
LB Jamien Sherwood
OL John Simpson
T Tyron Smith
CB Qwan'tez Stiggers
LB Chazz Surratt
DL Leonard Taylor III
QB Tyrod Taylor
DL Solomon Thomas
C Joe Tippmann
OL Alijah Vera-Tucker
T Carter Warren
DL Eric Watts
WR Mike Williams
LB Quincy Williams
DL Quinnen Williams
WR Garrett Wilson
K Greg Zuerlein
Here are the Jets' transactions made before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline:
Injured Reserve/NFI List
| Player | Position | Experience | Transaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leki Fotu | DL | 5 | Reserve/Injured |
| Jordan Travis | QB | 1 | Reserve/Non-Football Injury |
| Kenny Yeboah | TE | 4 | Reserve/Injured |
Waived/Released List
| Player | Pos | Exp | Transaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shemar Bartholomew | CB | R | Waived |
| Al Blades Jr. | S | R | Waived |
| Austin Deculus | OL | 3 | Waived |
| Sam Eguavoen | LB | 6 | Released |
| Obinna Eze | OL | 1 | Waived |
| Anthony Firkser | TE | 6 | Released |
| Chris Glaser | OL | 2 | Waived |
| Jake Hanson | OL | 4 | Released |
| Tyler Harrell | WR | R | Waived |
| Bruce Hector | DL | 3 | Waived |
| Anthony Hines | LB | 1 | Waived |
| Jalyn Holmes | DL | 5 | Released |
| Deon Jackson | RB | 3 | Waived |
| Jaylen Key | S | R | Waived |
| Zack Kuntz | TE | 1 | Waived |
| Jarius Monroe | S | R | Waived |
| Brady Latham | OL | R | Waived |
| Kohl Levao | OL | 1 | Waived |
| Adrian Martinez | QB | 1 | Waived |
| Marcelino McCrary-Ball | LB | 1 | Waived |
| Lance McCutcheon | WR | 2 | Waived |
| Andrew Peasley | QB | R | Waived |
| Lincoln Sefcik | TE | R | Waived |
| Austin Seibert | K | 4 | Released |
| Kendall Sheffield | CB | 4 | Released |
| Nehemiah Shelton | CB | 1 | Waived |
| Jackson Sirmon | LB | R | Waived |
| Tanzel Smart | DL | 4 | Released |
| Brandon Smith | WR | 1 | Waived |
| Tre Swilling | DB | 1 | Waived |
| Jaylen Twyman | DL | 1 | Waived |
| Willie Tyler III | OL | R | Waived |
| Xazavian Valladay | RB | 1 | Waived |
| Isaiah Winstead | WR | 1 | Waived |
What's Next
Over the coming days, GM Joe Douglas and his staff will have the flexibility to continue to shape the roster, moving players to injured reserve, adding players who were let go from around the league and executing trades in addition to filling a 16-player practice squad.
Waiver Claims
The Jets hold the tenth slot in the waiver-wire priority, which is based on last season's record. They will hold that spot until the Tuesday of Week 4 (9/24) of the regular season. At that point, the priority will match the NFL standings. The end of the claim period is Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET. After that, teams can sign players to their practice squad.
Practice Squad
Practice squads can have 16 players but can add an international pathway player without counting against the limit. Ten of the 16 players must have no more than two accrued seasons and the other six don't have any limitations. Teams are allowed to promote two players from their practice squad on gameday and each player called up will revert back to the PS. Teams can do that with a specific player up to three times. Practice squad players cannot sign with another team's practice squad but are free to sign with another team's 53-man roster at any time unless they are one of their team's protected players. Teams decide on four protected players weekly.
IR/PUP/NFI
Players that are on PUP or NFI don't count towards the 53-man roster. They're eligible to return to action after the team's fourth game. Players placed on IR before the cut to 53 are ineligible to return during the regular season unless they are designated to return. If a player is placed on injured reserve after the roster cuts and during the regular season, they are required to miss four weeks.
