The New York Jets finally made a move to patch over their kicking problems, using the No. 2 spot in the NFL waiver wire priority to claim Blake Grupe heading into Week 1.
Grupe has already been named the starting placekicker for the opener, giving the Jets a fresh answer after an offseason full of misses at the position. New York had cycled through a string of kicking options - Younghoe Koo, Will Ferrin, Cade York and Lenny Krieg - without finding a dependable fit.
Veteran Jason Sanders was included in the Jets’ final cuts, but he didn’t stay away for long. He quickly re-signed to the practice squad, where he’ll keep working through the offseason issues that pushed him out of the top job.
Grupe arrives with some uncertainty of his own. He was available in late August because he has not been a consistently reliable kicker over the course of his NFL career. In 45 appearances over his previous three seasons with the New Orleans Saints, he made 75 of 94 attempts, good for 79.8%.
There is at least one encouraging note in his recent track record. In 2025 with the Indianapolis Colts, the former Notre Dame kicker went 11-for-11.
Still, his preseason wasn’t exactly spotless. Grupe finished 2-for-4, missing once from 30-39 yards and once from 50-plus.
The Jets are trying to clean up a mess that started when they let Nick Folk walk this offseason. Now the job falls to Grupe, and the question is whether he can settle things down for Darren Mougey.
In Other News...
Saints Landed In The Middle Of A Colts Trade Fallout
Before free agency even began, the Colts sent linebacker Zaire Franklin to Green Bay for defensive tackle Colby Wooden, a move that was supposed to reshape the roster and create some competition up front. It did not take long for the deal to take on a different look, though, after Indianapolis moved on from Wooden during roster cutdowns.
The Saints ended up in the middle of the fallout by claiming Wooden off waivers, giving them a chance to see whether there is something worth developing in a player whose path changed almost as quickly as it was set. Colts general manager Chris Ballard has defended the trade as part of the competition he wanted to create, but for New Orleans it is simply another low-cost roster addition with a little more intrigue because of how he arrived. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Receiver Room Suddenly Looks Far Less Settled Than Expected
The Saints trimmed to their 53-man roster expecting to keep six receivers, but an injury to Jordyn Tyson changed the math and pushed the group down to five. Even then, the biggest surprise came when Kevin Austin Jr. was cut despite being viewed as a likely roster piece, leaving New Orleans with only four active wideouts and a room that looks thinner than anyone probably expected entering the week.
Now the focus shifts to how the Saints shore up the position before the season starts. A veteran addition remains one possible path, while a practice-squad promotion is another, but either way the team has work to do if it wants more reliable depth behind the top of the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Are Giving Danny Stutsman A Chance Pete Werner Cant Ignore
Danny Stutsman has started to carve out more room for himself in the Saints defense this preseason, even with Kaden Elliss and Pete Werner still sitting ahead of him on the depth chart. The rookie flashed the kind of tackling ability New Orleans liked last season, and the staffs willingness to get him on the field more often suggests they are not treating him like a long-term project anymore.
Pete Werner still has a firm hold on a starting spot, but the Saints are clearly testing different defensive looks that could put Stutsman in more prominent roles alongside Elliss. If that usage keeps growing, the conversation around the linebacker group could shift quickly, and Werner may find himself with a real challenge to keep the job he has long been expected to own. [Read more 🡒]