We’re about 24 hours from when the New York Jets need to cut their roster down to 53 men. That means over the next day, New York’s front office will be busy trying to determine who will stay or be put on waivers for other teams to potentially claim.
The other part of this busy week for New York is building their practice squad which they could bring in over the next few days as well. That’s where keeping an eye on what other teams do is so important.
Luckily, there’s already a handful of players that have been made available that the Jets could consider for their practice squad or the 53-man roster. Let’s take a look at five that make sense here.
Breshad Perriman – WR
A veteran wide receiver who won’t have to deal with the waiver wire, Perriman has had a difficult NFL career since being a late first-round pick for Baltimore seven years ago. Perriman had a decent season with the Jets back in 2020, but with the team potentially looking for a fifth wide receiver, he could come back to play with Aaron Rodgers.
Of course, the Jets could seemingly just let one of their undrafted free-agent wideouts make the team, and they would be celebrated by doing so, they could go with a veteran option here and Perriman would certainly help.
Tanner Muse – LB
Arguably the weakest position in terms of depth on the Jets roster is linebacker. Tanner Muse is a solid special teams player and a three-year NFL veteran who could provide the team with a strong locker-room presence behind CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams. This would, in turn, mean the team would need to keep five linebackers with Zaire Barnes and Jamien Sherwood also backing up the starters, but they could do worse than Muse here.
Deon Cain – WR
We’ve already determined that the Jets could go in several ways with their receiving room if they decide to keep more than the four veterans they already employ. If they decide to look elsewhere, Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas has a personal relationship with the Philadelphia Eagles that might come in handy. Deon Cain was very consistent throughout the preseason and has looked solid in the small amount of games he’s played. At 6’2″ he’s the kind of big receiver the Jets could turn to for depth. He’s also a dependable blocker at times.
Irvin Charles, Jason Brownlee, Malik Taylor, and Xavier Gipson all are in consideration for that final receiver spot, but a young veteran could also step in and fill the role New York needs nicely.
Alex Leatherwood – OL
Leatherwood is such a hard player to judge. He was a first-round pick at guard just two years ago with the Raiders and lasted just one season. Then he went to Chicago and saw action in just four games. With any first-round pick, some teams will look to take a flier on them. The Jets could certainly be one of those teams for Leatherwood. Guard depth is certainly a need for Gang Green and if they can get the most out of this Alabama prospect, they could have a strong player come in on the cheap.
Brett Toth – OT
With the Eagles being a model of consistency with their offensive line, it would make a lot of sense for the Jets to be interested in some of their players. Toth is an intriguing option. He’s only 26, has experience in games, and has been playing under one of the best offensive line coaches in NFL history. The Jets may be set with their starting guards, but Toth could be a solid swing tackle that provides the necessary depth for the roster on the whole.
Other names to watch for Jets
Michael Dunn – four starts, 28 appearances along OL for the Browns
Wilson Huber – strong special teams linebacker for the Vikings
Kendall Hinton – veteran wide receiver for the Broncos
