The Jets have signed QB Hendon Hooker, DL Kingsley Jonathan and OL Kohl Levao to the active roster. The Green & White also placed RB Isaiah Davis, OL Xavier Newman and TE Mason Taylor on injured reserve, and the team elevated RB Raheem Blackshear and DB Samuel Womack III for Sunday's game against the Bills.
Hooker (6-3, 220) was signed to the Jets' practice squad on Dec. 18 and was elevated for Week 17. A third-round draft selection of the Detroit Lions in 2023, Hooker did not play during his rookie season while he recovered from an ACL injury. The 27-year-old, who played collegiately for Virginia Tech and Tennessee, appeared in 3 games for the Lions in 2024. He was waived by the Lions in August and signed to the Carolina Panthers' practice squad. Hooker was released by Carolina on Nov. 4.
Jonathan (6-4, 260) was initially signed by the Jets in June and spent the summer with the Green & White. He appeared in all three preseason games before he was waived after final roster cuts in August but was added to the practice squad on Dec. 9. The Syracuse product, who went undrafted in 2022, was the first overall pick in the 2022 CFL Global Draft, which is limited to a pool of non-Canadian and non-American players. Kingsley, who was born in Nigeria and grew up in Baltimore, signed with the Bills in 2022 and had a stint with the Bears as a rookie before he returned to Buffalo. He played in 15 games for the Bills over three seasons and totaled 6 tackles and 3 QB hits on 121 defensive snaps.
Levao (6-6, 350), who played in college at Hawaii, was initially signed by the Jets in June 2024. He signed a Reserve/Futures contract last January and has spent this season on the practice squad. Levao was elevated for a Week 10 contest against the Browns, but he did not appear in the game. After he was not selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Levao spent time playing in the UFL for San Antonio in 2024, playing in all 12 games and making the All-UFL team.
Davis (6-1, 220) sustained a concussion in the fourth quarter of the Jets' Week 17 loss to the Patriots. The second-year Jet appeared in 16 games for the Green & White this season, recording 236 rushing yards and 1 TD. The South Dakota State product recorded a career-high 65 rushing yards in a Week 8 win over Cincinnati and a career-high 52 receiving yards in a Week 16 loss to New Orleans. Davis also contributed on special teams throughout the season, playing 250 snaps.
Newman (6-2, 297), a fourth-year player who is dealing with a knee injury, has appeared in 5 games for the Green & White this season. His play-time totals include 31 offensive snaps and 3 special teams snaps.
Taylor (6-5, 251), who has a neck injury, last appeared in a Week 14 loss to the Dolphins. Taylor appeared in 13 games (11 starts) for the Green & White this season, and he leads the team with 44 receptions. The LSU product, a second-round pick last April, had 369 receiving yards and 1 TD during his rookie campaign.
Blackshear (5-9, 190) was signed to the Jets' practice squad on Tuesday. The Rutgers and Virginia product initially signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2022 as an undrafted free agent and began the season on their practice squad. Blackshear was then signed to the Carolina Panthers' active roster in September of 2022 and appeared in 13 games (1 start), scoring 3 rushing TDs as a rookie. He spent the next two seasons with Carolina before he was waived by the team last August. In 3 seasons with the Panthers, Blackshear appeared in 41 games (2 starts) and contributed as a returner, recording 23 punt returns for 200 yards and 66 kick returns for 1,734 yards. Blackshear had brief stints with the Tennessee Titans' and Pittsburgh Steelers' practice squads earlier this season.
Womack (5-10, 189) appeared in 5 games (1 start) with the Tennessee Titans this season and had 4 tackles and 1 PD. With the Colts in 2024, Womack played in 17 games and made eight starts, totaling 36 tackles, 2 INTs and 9 PDs. A fifth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2022 NFL Draft, Womack, a Toledo product, appeared in 23 regular season games for the 49ers in 2022-23 and collected 18 defensive tackles (14 solo), 1 TFL, 2 PDs, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR and added 8 special teams stops. In three postseason contests with the 49ers, Womack tallied 3 solo tackles and 2 special teams tackles.
