The New York Jets’ initial 53-man roster is here, but as usual, plenty can still change between now and opening day.
Across the Jets’ depth chart, two of the positions in most dire need of help are tight end and edge rusher. We already covered three tight ends the Jets should explore claiming off waivers, and now, it’s time to pinpoint some potential targets on the edge.
Grayson Murphy (Dolphins)
A 2024 undrafted free agent out of UCLA, Grayson Murphy (6-foot-2, 255 pounds) missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury. Back on the field in 2025, he was one of Miami’s top standouts in the preseason.
Across three appearances, Murphy recorded a pass-rush win rate of 24.6%, per Pro Football Focus, which placed fifth-best among 110 qualified edge rushers (min. 30 pass-rush snaps). Murphy also had nine pressures, placing fifth at the position.
Boasting a Relative Athletic Score of 8.73, Murphy is an explosive athlete for the position, recording a 4.63 forty time, 37-inch vertical jump, and 125-inch broad jump.
Murphy went undrafted primarily due to his short arms (30.25 inches) and signs of a lackluster motor on tape. The athletic tools are there, though. He offers a pass-rush ceiling that the Jets’ second-string defensive line sorely lacks, particularly on the edge.
It is always nice to poach a player from a division rival, too.
Isaiah Land (Colts)
The 2023 UDFA out of FCS Florida A&M initially landed with the Cowboys. He was waived by Dallas despite having the fifth-most pressures (10) among edge rushers in the 2023 preseason.
However, his efforts led to him being claimed by Indianapolis, for whom he played seven games in his rookie season. Land had six tackles and a sack on just 31 defensive snaps.
Land played 10 more games for the Colts in 2024, logging just 78 defensive snaps and 49 special teams snaps.
In the 2025 preseason, Land once again displayed potential as a pass rusher, ranking eighth out of 110 edge rushers with a 23.5% pass-rush win rate. He also had the fourth-most run stops at the position (5).
Land is well on the lankier side for an edge rusher at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds. However, the Jets’ second-string edge unit already has multiple bigger-bodied players in Micheal Clemons (263) and Braiden McGregor (267). They do not have a true speed rusher behind Will McDonald.
Land, who ran a 4.62 and posted a 126-inch broad jump, offers speed and explosiveness that the unit does not have past McDonald and Jermaine Johnson. He could slide into a situational pass-rushing role, for which the Jets currently do not have an ideal player.
Nate Lynn (Lions)
A product of William & Mary, Nate Lynn joined the Lions as a UDFA in 2024, when Aaron Glenn was Detroit’s defensive coordinator.
Lynn had a dominant preseason opener, recording a sack and five pressures on just 13 pass-rush snaps, but a torn ligament in his shoulder forced him to spend the rest of his rookie year on injured reserve.
Upon his return, Lynn picked up where he left off. Lynn lit up the 2025 preseason, recording a 23.4% pass-rush win rate (ninth-best out of 110 edge rushers) over four appearances.
Lynn had some issues in the run game, but after tying for third among NFL edge rushers with 10 pressures in the preseason, he seemed primed to earn a roster spot on a Detroit team desperate for defensive line help around Aidan Hutchinson. Instead, Lynn was one of the team’s most surprising cuts.
The 23-year-old is now ripe for the picking to reunite with Glenn in New York.
Lynn went undrafted largely because of a troubling athletic profile (3.91 RAS), which is doubly concerning when the prospect comes from a weaker conference. While he has a prototype frame for the edge at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds, his 31-inch arms are another concern in his physical profile.
However, at this point, Lynn has accumulated well over 100 snaps of dominance in the preseason. Across 130 defensive snaps, he’s pressured the quarterback 15 times on 83 pass-rush snaps (18.1% pressure rate). That’s a reliable enough sample to prove that he deserves a shot in the regular season.
The three backup edge rushers on the Jets’ initial 53-man roster – Micheal Clemons, Braiden McGregor, and Tyler Baron – combined for 10 pressures on 100 pass-rush snaps this preseason (10.0% pressure rate).
No matter which direction the Jets go, they can easily find an edge rusher who would immediately provide the third-highest pass-rush ceiling in the unit.