Over the Cap Projection: Jets to Add Fourth Round Compensatory Draft Pick

Over the Cap is out with projections for compensatory picks. Compensatory picks are bonus Draft picks awarded to teams who lost more than they gained in free agency the year before.

The projection has the Jets gaining an extra fourth round pick for losing Damon Harrison to the Giants.

The Jets also lost Chris Ivory and Demario Davis in free agency, but picks the team could have gained were cancelled out by the signings of Matt Forte and Steve McLendon.

There is a bit of ambiguity as to whether the Jets will qualify for a pick because of the possibility the signing of Jarvis Jenkins would cancel out the loss of Harrison. They cut him on November 9 with the working theory being that cutting him at that date meant he no longer counted against the formula.

The Jets signed Jarvis Jenkins to a two year deal on March 16, and then cut him on Wednesday, November 9, in between the games of Weeks 9 and 10. There were two instances of potential CFAs cut within this time span close to the Week 10 cutoff that did not qualify. Bobby Engram was cut by the Chiefs on the Monday of this week in 2009, and Greg Favors was cut by the Colts on the Friday of this week in 2002. Because neither Engram nor Favors qualified, I am projecting that Jenkins will not qualify either, but because it’s close enough there’s a chance I’m wrong and he might qualify.

Nobody outside the league knows for sure the formula for picks. If the Jets aren’t totally incompetent, though, one would presume they cut Jenkins, a spare part, in time to still get a pick.