The New York Jets have already begun their first round of roster cuts this weekend. As part of the NFL’s cutdown timeline, each team has to trim its roster from 90 players to 53 by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

The Jets’ first big surprise came through their latest cuts on Sunday.

New York released veteran linebacker Jamin Davis. The former first-round pick out of Kentucky had appeared to be the leader in the clubhouse for the organization’s starting WILL. In an open competition against Marcelino McCrary-Ball, Davis’ discipline seemed to win the day.

His release was quite a shock to some analysts, especially after McCrary-Ball drew the ire of head coach Aaron Glenn in the team’s first preseason contest in early August. He was called for a late hit out of bounds that gave the Packers a free 15 yards.

“The only thing that wasn’t our brand is the amount of penalties that we had,” Glenn said of the penalty. “Some of those penalties were undisciplined penalties. We’ve got to clean those up.”

So why did the Jets op to keep McCrary-Ball over Davis at this time? Is New York’s linebacker room set now?

Jets’ linebacker changes

As is always the case with decisions across the NFL, the release of Davis is a complex issue.

A 2023 undrafted free agent, McCrary-Ball only has one accrued season in the NFL, which means he is subject to waivers if released. That means all 31 teams would be given the option of picking him up.

Davis has no such concern. He has reached the required threshold of four accrued seasons to avoid being subject to waivers. If New York wants to bring Davis back in any way, they do not have to wait for him to clear waivers. They could simply sign him back.

A lot can change for an organization from the start of cutdowns to when they take the field for Week 1. On many occasions, players who make the final 53-man roster are released just days later. Some are placed on injured reserve.

The Jets may have a “handshake deal” with Davis to sign him back once they open up an extra roster spot. New York did this with veteran punter Thomas Morstead in 2023.

Just because McCrary-Ball has seemingly won the starting job at the moment, it doesn’t mean he will be the winner when the Jets face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It appeared that Davis was the clear winner from New York’s preseason slate. In the opener against Green Bay, Davis started alongside Quincy Williams and Jamien Sherwood with the Jets’ first-team defense. He played well, making multiple stops in a short time on the field.

While things have certainly changed in that regard, it does not mean things are resolved in the Jets’ linebacker room just yet.