Waiver Claims That Could Help The Jets

With more than 1000 players getting lopped off NFL rosters yesterday there is a large number of players suddenly available to potentially upgrade the Jets roster. Many of these are not ready for NFL action yet. Many never will be. Some are over the hill. Given the Jets current roster and the apparent youth movement, which available players could help the Jets?

I would start with players that still have upside, fitting the direction the Jets are headed. As just one example, a player like Eric Winston might arguably be an upgrade, but at well over 30 years old such a player does not seem to fit what the Jets are trying to accomplish.

I won’t pretend to be familiar with the vast majority of the available players. There are just too many players available. No doubt many of you have familiarity with certain players I have overlooked or know nothing about; I would encourage you to discuss your favorites in the comments.

I’ve selected three of my favorites who fit the Jets youth movement and can upgrade shaky positions.

Will Tye

Will Tye is a 25 year old, 6’ 2”, 265 pound tight end with 4.57 speed who would immediately become the most accomplished tight end on the Jets roster. Tye caught 90 passes for 859 yards and four touchdowns for the New York Giants the last two years. He became somewhat expendable when the Giants drafted Evan Engram, but he would be an upgrade for the Jets.

Lorenzo Taliaferro

The Jets have no credible fullback on the roster. Julian Howsare is a converted linebacker who at no time has looked the part of a starting NFL fullback. The Jets new offense requires a fullback who is a threat in the passing game. Howsare is not that. Lorenzo Taliaferro might be.

Taliaferro is a 25 year old 6’ 0”, 230 pound back recently cut by the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens didn’t use Taliaferro much in the passing game, and they only converted him to fullback this year, so he might not be capable of manning the position. But I think he’s worth a look. Taliaferro showed excellent hands and good route running skills in college. In three years with the Ravens Taliaferro had 82 carries for 339 yards, a 4.1 yard average, and 16 receptions on 18 targets for 153 yards, a 9.6 yard average.

Max McCaffrey

Max McCaffrey is the other McCaffrey brother. Unlike his more celebrated sibling Christian, Max was not a blue chip prospect out of college. He was an undrafted free agent signed by the Green Bay Packers in 2016. The Packers have a deep receiver group and McCaffrey failed to stick after spending most of the 2016 season on the Packers’ practice squad. McCaffrey is a 23 year old 6’ 2”, 200 pound receiver with outstanding hands, a knack for finding open spots in a zone defense, and an absolutely fearless nature, making a living in the middle of the field where others fear to tread. With 4.5 speed he won’t win a lot of footraces against NFL cornerbacks. What he will do is get open, catch everything thrown his way, and take a crunching hit without flinching. He might remind you a bit of a certain guy from Hofstra who once played for the Jets.

Those are the guys I think could help the Jets while fitting the youth movement. What about you? Who are your waiver wire pickups?