Jets Make a Number of Moves; Announce DT Pope has Left the Team
The New York Jets announced Monday the signings of wide receivers Chris Baker, C.J. Fayton and defensive end Val Barnaby and that punter D.J. Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Phil Silva were waived. The Jets also announced that defensive tackle Monsanto Pope has left the team. The announcements were made by Jets' General Manager Mike Tannenbaum.
Baker, 6-5, 200, was originally signed by the San Francisco 49ers on May 4, 2006 after playing the past four seasons at Rutgers University. He was waived by the 49ers on July 27. Baker originally enrolled at Rutgers and began his collegiate career as a quarterback before switching to wide receiver in 2003. While with the Scarlet Knights, Baker caught 56 career passes for 505 yards and two touchdowns. The native of Jersey City, NJ graduated from Marist High School in Bayonne, NJ.
Fayton, 6-2, 192, caught 74 passes for 981 yards and seven touchdowns in four seasons at Tennessee, including 24 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns as a senior in 2005. Fayton signed as a rookie free agent with the Chicago Bears on June 5, 2006 and was waived on June 29. The native of Virginia Beach, VA, was an All-SEC Academic selection in 2003 and graduated from Tennessee with an undergraduate degree in sports management.
The 6-5, 270-pound Barnaby was tied for second in the Big East (and tied for 14th nationally) with 10.0 sacks in 2005. Barnaby teamed with fellow defensive end Ryan Neill to give the Scarlet Knights a fierce pass rush in 2005, as Rutgers was tied for second nationally with 47 sacks. Barnaby, an All-State center at Franklin Township High School, recorded 41 tackles in 2005 to help lead Rutgers to a third place finish in the Big East and a berth in the Insight Bowl, was also tied for seventh in the Conference with 13.0 tackles for loss. As starter at defensive end in his final two seasons at Rutgers, Barnaby concluded his career with 109 tackles, including 23 tackles for losses and 12 sacks.
Fitzpatrick, 6-1, 208, was one of the top dual kicker/punters in college football for Notre Dame. He also earned the starting punter duties midway through the 2003 season and finished his career as one of the most prolific scorers in Notre Dame history with 205 points. Fitzpatrick signed as a free agent with the Jets on May 12, 2006.
Silva, 6-3, 220 pounds, was a four-year letterman for the Rowan University Profs. As a senior he was named the NJAC Offensive Player of the Year after recording 46 receptions for 587 yards and seven touchdowns. Silva, a product of Vineland, NJ, was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and moved with his family to the United States at the age of ten. He was signed by the Jets on June 9, 2006 as a free agent.
Pope, 6-3, 300, is a product of the University of Virginia who has played in 48 regular season games, making 21 starts, over the course of his first four professional seasons (2002-2005) with the Denver Broncos. The native of Hopewell, VA has accumulated 80 tackles, six sacks for -32 yards, three passes defensed and one forced fumble during regular season play. He signed with the Jets as an unrestricted free agent on March 27, 2006.
Baker and Fayton will join the Jets this afternoon for a 2:00 p.m. practice. Baker will wear number 19 with the Jets and Fayton will wear number three, while Barnaby has been assigned number 75. The recently signed Baker is no relation to the Jets' tight end Chris Baker, who is in his fifth professional season.
