More bad news for the Jets’ pass rush. They placed defensive end Vinny Curry on their reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday. This will sideline Curry for the entire 2021 season.
The veteran edge rusher underwent an undisclosed offseason surgery and did not participate during the Jets’ training camp, residing on the team’s active/NFI list. Gang Green moving the ex-Eagle to the reserve/NFI list marks more unavailability for its thinning pass rush, with the move coming after the team lost Carl Lawson for the season due to an Achilles tear.
The Jets signed Curry in late March, giving him a one-year, $1.3MM deal that includes $1.1MM fully guaranteed. Curry has 32.5 career sacks in nine NFL seasons. The 33-year-old defensive end has spent all but one season with the Eagles but signed with the Jets to be a role player in Robert Saleh‘s new scheme. The Jets’ edge-rushing group is now even lighter on experience, and the team is looking into trades.
Beyond ex-49er Ronald Blair, who has not played since midway through the 2019 season due to injury, New York is down to the likes of John Franklin-Myers (two career starts; five career sacks) and struggling third-round pick Jabari Zuniga (zero, zero) on the edge. Kyle Phillips (seven, 1.5) is on the team’s active/PUP list. The team will almost certainly add an edge rusher or two in the coming days.
Just ahead of the deadline for teams to pare their rosters from 85 to 80 players, the Jets also waived four — wide receivers Josh Malone and Manasseh Bailey, tackle Tristen Hoge and linebacker Edmond Robinson.
Well, this pretty much ensures that New York will have to bring in someone to play on the edge. Dion Jordan played for Saleh, as did Ziggy Ansah. Both are available, as well as some lower recognized names who last played for San Fran, like Anthony Zettel or Daeshon Hall.
Bruce Irvin is available too, as is Vic Beasley. Budget options, especially in Beasley’s case (who even knows if he’ll show?), but the Jets need someone to start…and someone for depth.