The New York Jets shook up their roster on Wednesday after claiming three players on waivers, setting off a series of corresponding cuts.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the team released wide receiver Tyler Johnson, who ran with the first-team offense much of the summer.
They also waived guard Marquis Hayes and linebacker Zaire Barnes to make room for the trio of newcomers.
Johnson, 27, comes as the most surprising cut on this list.
Johnson’s stint with the Jets never got off the ground, ending just months after he signed with New York. The veteran wideout, a fifth-round draft pick of Tampa Bay in 2020, has bounced around the league in search of a steady role.
He has logged time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, and the Los Angeles Rams, even making a brief return to the Bucs in 2022. Over four seasons, he has appeared in 49 games with eight starts, totaling 76 catches for 828 yards and four touchdowns on 116 targets.
Many expected the former fifth-round pick to secure a roster spot, but his two catches for 27 yards in the preseason were not enough to keep him on the team.
The Jets’ receiving corps on the 53-man roster now features Garrett Wilson, Josh Reynolds, rookie Arian Smith, Allen Lazard, and Xavier Gipson.
Because Johnson is a vested veteran with more than four years of NFL service, he will not be subject to waivers and could still return to the team in some capacity.
Waiving Hayes and Barnes was largely expected. Neither player had been projected to make the 53-man roster, and the additions of offensive lineman Esa Pole and linebacker Cam Jones, who brings a similar profile to Barnes, made their exits inevitable.
