The New York Jets made a quick call on their special teams picture and used the open spot to add another body to the defensive line.
On Friday, the team announced it had waived long snapper Garrison Grimes and signed defensive lineman Ben Barten.
Grimes, an undrafted free agent out of BYU, had been brought in earlier this year as a possible challenger to veteran long snapper Thomas Hennessy. The rookie arrived with plenty of attention attached to his athletic profile, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 10.00 and ranking first among long snapper prospects in NFL history. Even so, the Jets moved on after only two training camp practices, choosing to stick with Hennessy.
That decision keeps the job in the hands of the player who has handled it for New York since 2017. Hennessy has appeared in all 149 games for the Jets, and he has recorded 29 total tackles. He still has two years left on the four-year, $5.97 million contract extension he signed.
The roster opening went to Barten, an undrafted rookie from Wisconsin who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 324 pounds. He originally signed with the New York Giants, but they waived him earlier this week.
Barten spent four seasons at Wisconsin and played in 44 games, finishing with 63 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, eight pass deflections, and two fumble recoveries. In 12 games during the 2025 season, he put up 24 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and two pass deflections.
He now joins a Jets defensive tackle group that appears as follows:
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