Jets 53 Man Roster Thoughts

The Jets have their first 53 man roster of 2017. It will likely change before the weekend is done. The team will probably make waiver claims. For each player the Jets add, they will have to let one player go.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the things that stuck out.

No additional expensive veterans on the way out.

The Jets have had a steady purge of expensive veterans throughout the offseason in an attempt to open up spots for younger, cheaper players. It started in the spring as the likes of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Marshall, and Nick Mangold were let go. David Harris and Eric Decker departed in the summer. Just yesterday Sheldon Richardson was sent on his way.

Many of us speculated about whether the likes of Buster Skrine, Steve McLendon, and Matt Forte could be on the way out by the end of training camp. Cutting Skrine and McLendon would save money. Getting rid of Forte wouldn’t, but it would clear a roster spot. Things could change, but at this point the trio remains.

An odd end of an era.

When the Jets traded for long snapper Thomas Hennessy a few days ago, many of us speculated it could be the end for Tanner Purdum. Hennessy had experience snapping to presumed kicker Ross Martin. Timing and chemistry are important in the long snapper-kicker relationship.

The Jets surprisingly waived Martin on Friday, taking the chemistry issue off the table. Yet the team still cut Purdum. Purdum was the longest tenured Jet and only player on the roster to participate in a Playoff game in a Jets uniform.

What made this odder is that the Jets put out this information after they cut Purdum.

What was the reasoning behind cutting a player who is still in the middle of a seven year streak of perfection? Chemistry would have been a logical answer had the Jets kept Martin.

I’m sure there is a reasonable answer. This is the long snapper spot we are talking about. Hennessy probably will do a fine job. It’s just odd the Jets were so eager to make a change here. You might remember the last time the Jets made a change there was a reason. It was because longtime long snapper James Dearth had a shaky 2009 season that contributed to some big special teams failures.

Fumbles don’t cost Murphy return job for now.

The apparent winner of the return competition appears to be Marcus Murphy at least for now. Murphy fumbled a kickoff and a handoff in preseason. Ball security is the most important attribute for any return man, but Murphy’s struggles did not cost him the job yet. Last year Jalin Marshall won the return job despite ball security issues. Those issues carried into the regular season.

Suspension battles

The suspensions of Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Jalin Marshall means they do not count against the 53 man roster for the start of the season. When Seferian-Jenkins returns, the player cut to make room could easily be either Eric Tomlinson or Jason Vander Laan. It might be a competition between the two of them for the job.

Marshall might not be guaranteed a spot on the roster. It could come down to whether the Jets like him or Charone Peake better.

Mauldin might head to IR, but his season might not be overr.

The Jets kept Lorenzo Mauldin on the roster. That is significant as he deals with an injury. Teams have the option to put players on injured reserve to clear a roster spot. But those players had to be on the active roster today to be eligible to be activated off injured reserve at some point this season.