The Jets coming off a poor performance from the secondary, wasted no time in making roster moves. They released cornerback Lequan Lewis and placed him on the practice squad. Also released was cornerback Brandon Smith. On the offensive side of the ball, the Jets released wide receiver Jalen Saunders, who had a disappointing campaign thus far. He was their kick returner, but muffed two punts and was made inactive soon after.
This made room for free agent wide receiver T.J. Graham, which they are very excited about moving forward. “I feel like I’ve learned a lot in the past couple of days,” Graham said. “I can’t give you a percentage of how much I know, but just being out there and helping out with as many reps as I can and take the load off of the other guys is my main focus. If I play Sunday, I play. I’m just trying to get out there and help my team out as much as I can.” He adds depth due to injuries to both David Nelson (Ankle) and Eric Decker (Hamstring). Both wide receivers did not practice Thursday.
Joining Graham was Chris Owusu, who was signed this week as well. Owusu previously was with the Buccaneers, and will also add to the receiver depth.
Owusu was previously was with Buccaneers
With 2nd year player Tommy Bohanon going on the injured reserve list, the Jets filled the void by bringing back the former Jet John Connor. “I’m the same guy. Help the team out the best way I can, bring my physicality to the running game, and just get things going,” said Connor. He should be still familiar with the Jets offense, as Rex Ryan drafted him in the 5th round of the 2010 draft. He left after the 2012 season and had stints with both the Bengals and Giants before returning back to the Jets.
We will see how much contributions each of the newly acquired receivers will have on Sunday against the Chargers, if at all. Nelson hasn’t voiced whether he will make the trip to San Diego, but Dee Milliner practiced in full Thursday. He is expected to play on Sunday and hopefully can help the secondary which desperately needs him.
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Quotes Credit: NewYorkJets.com