The New York Jets have made a flurry of roster moves ahead of rookie minicamp.
Gang Green announced on social media that they have waived offensive lineman Gus Hartwig and defensive back Chris Smith II.
Hartwig, 24, joined the Jets last offseason as an undrafted free agent out of Purdue. He was listed at 6-foot-5 and weighed 312 pounds. Hartwig got injured the first week of training camp and was “waived/injured” last year. He came off that list in February and will now be subject to waivers. If he clears, Hartwig would be an unrestricted free agent.
Smith, 26, joined the Jets when he was claimed off waivers on Christmas Eve after the Los Angeles Rams parted ways with him. He was listed at 5-foot-10 and weighed 197 pounds. He originally entered the league as the No. 170 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft.
“Smith appeared in 36 games over three seasons for Las Vegas, primarily as a contributor on special teams. Smith was waived by the Raiders last November after appearing in 9 games for the team last season. He was then claimed by the Rams and appeared in 4 games for Los Angeles before he was waived,” Jets senior reporter Eric Allen wrote in a press release.
Roster Exemption for the Jets
During the offseason, every NFL team is allowed to carry a maximum of 90 players. There are some exceptions that allow teams to hold more players than the limit.
For example, on Thursday, May 7, the Jets announced that “they have designated defensive lineman Paschal Ekeji as their exempt/international player.”
This allows the Jets to carry 91 players instead of the typical 90. Ekeji is part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program.
“The former rugby star holds citizenship in three nations and was one of 13 players from 12 countries selected as part [of] the NFL’s IPP Program class. In the summer of 2022, Ekeji was one of 49 participants from five countries — Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo — in the first NFL Africa Camp. Born in the southern Africa country of Lesotho, Ekeji played rugby for Grey College in Bloemfontein and later attended Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape province of South Africa. He most recently played with the Sharks, a southern African professional rugby team,” Allen wrote in a press release.
Frank Reich Reveals Why He Joined Jets This Offseason
The green and white weren’t an attractive landing spot this offseason. They can’t keep an offensive cooridator, their quarterback situation left much to be desired, and they’re coming off a 3-14 season.
Despite all that, veteran coach Frank Reich took the call from head coach Aaron Glenn and accepted the OC role.
Reich revealed that his stint at Stanford “re-energized” his love for coaching and said AG was a big reason he took the gig. The challenges of the Jets’ situation actually attracted him here because he wanted to fix it, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Does Reich still have any magic left at 64-years of age? The Jets are betting that he does.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Jets Release Multiple Players Before Rookie Minicamp appeared first on HEAVY.