The Jets are doing some spring cleaning. On Friday, the Jets released six players from their offseason roster, including wide receiver Josh Doctson. Meanwhile, they also welcomed 12 new undrafted free agents. Here’s the full rundown:
Doctson, a former first-round pick of the WFT, joined the Jets in February as a street free agent. In August, he exercised his right to opt out, tolling his one-year pact to 2021. While Doctson did not deliver on Washington’s investment, he did post multiple 500-plus-yard seasons from 2017-18 and profiled as a somewhat interesting candidate to factor into the Jets’ wideout mix last season. Now, he’ll seek employment elsewhere.
Per an agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, players with COVID-19 health concerns can opt out of the 2020 season. Initially, the deadline was believed to be Tuesday, August 4. Talks between the league and the union have pushed it to August 6.
More changes for the Jets’ starting offensive line. Signed out of retirement, Ryan Kalil will finish this season on IR, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The Jets will promote offensive lineman Leo Koloamatangi to their active roster to replace the longtime center. A knee injury will end Kalil’s season and perhaps send him back to retirement. Kalil had started seven Jets games this season, but that knee malady had kept him out since Week 8. Pro Football Focus graded Kalil as its No. 33 center (out of 34 qualified snappers) this season.
This marks more turnover for the Jets’ front. The team will start a different right guard Sunday, after Brian Winters‘ injury, and has already experienced turnover at every other spot on its line. New York had already started multiple players at left tackle, left guard and right tackle this season. Of Gang Green’s Week 11 starters, only left tackle Kelvin Beachum was present in the Week 1 lineup.
Jonotthan Harrison is next in line to start at center, as he did for much of last season with the Jets. Harrison re-signed this offseason, but after Joe Douglas took the GM reins from Mike Maccagnan, the team lured Kalil out of retirement with a one-year, $8.4MM deal. Harrison has started the past two Jets games.
Kalil, 34, started 145 games for the Panthers from 2007-18. The former second-round pick made five Pro Bowl rosters and ended two seasons as a first-team All-Pro.
August 31st, 2019 at 6:03pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
The Lions are the latest team to officially trim their roster all the way down to 53. After stockpiling quarterbacks, they’ve now cut two of them. Former AAF passer Luis Perez and Tom Savage were both let go. That means that legendary journeyman Josh Johnson has made the team as Matthew Stafford‘s backup, and recently acquired rookie David Blough has made the squad as the third-stringer. Detroit also waived Isaac Nauta, a rookiie tight end out of Georgia who they drafted in the seventh-round.
December 11th, 2018 at 3:13pm CST by Zachary Links
Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansahhas been placed on injured reserve, according to a team announcement. Ansah has been hurt for much of the season and was forced out of Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, so the move does not come as a surprise.
This has been a frustrating year for the Lions and Ansah alike. In the offseason, the Lions kept Ansah from the open market by applying the expensive $17.1MM franchise tag. At the time, the Lions indicated that they were willing to discuss a long-term deal because they wanted to see if Ansah could deliver a second consecutive monster season. Unfortunately, injuries completely derailed Ansah and the Lions’ season tanked.
Ansah managed four sacks in his seven games, but he appeared in just 146 snaps on the entire year. That’s hardly the follow-up the Lions wanted after he notched 12 sacks and 44 overall tackles in 2017.
Ansah will be a fascinating case to watch in free agency. The 29-year-old (30 in May) has turned in two great seasons (2015, 2017), two good seasons (2013, 2014), and two dud seasons (2016, 2018) thus far in his career and his health moving forward is obviously a concern. The silver lining here is that his placement on IR will allow him to immediately undergo surgery for a labrum issue, meaning that he should be ready for training camp in 2019.
The veteran figures to be one of several intriguing pass rushers to hit the open market in March. Frank Clark (Seahawks), Jadeveon Clowney (Texans), Trey Flowers (Patriots), Dee Ford (Chiefs), and DeMarcus Lawrence (Cowboys) are also on course for free agency in 2019.
The Lions also placed tight end Michael Roberts (shoulder) on IR. To fill the two spots, the Lions signed tight end Jerome Cunningham and offensive lineman Leo Koloamatangi from the practice squad.
September 2nd, 2018 at 3:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters: