August is the proving ground for NFL players who are still trying to force their way onto a roster, and the Jets have a few of those names worth watching.
This year’s group is a little different in New York. The Jets seem to have more roster locks than they’ve had in recent seasons, which means the path to the 53-man roster is even tighter. That doesn’t leave much room for the players on the bubble, but it does create an opening for a few guys to make noise over the final two preseason games and maybe play their way onto the practice squad.
One name to keep in mind is edge rusher Nate Lynn.
Lynn, 24, joined the Jets this week after the team released Kingsley Jonathan because of an injury. A spot on the 53-man roster looks like a long shot in a crowded edge room, but the practice squad is a realistic landing spot.
He’s already shown he can flash in the preseason. Lynn has turned heads two years in a row with the Detroit Lions while still missing out on their 53-man roster.
In 2024, he started camp strong and backed it up with a preseason debut that included a sack, two quarterback hits and two hurries on just 13 pass-rush snaps, good for an 84.9 pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus. His season ended before he could build on it when he tore a ligament in his shoulder and landed on injured reserve.
He came back in 2025 and did it again, finishing the preseason with one sack, one hit and eight hurries on 70 pass-rush snaps, along with a 90.6 pass-rushing grade. That still wasn’t enough to crack Detroit’s 53-man roster, and he wound up on the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad without getting elevated for a game.
Lynn also comes to New York with some familiarity. In 2024, he played under Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, who was Detroit’s defensive coordinator at the time. He also overlapped with Jets assistant defensive line coach Cameron Davis, who held the same role in Detroit.
At running back, the picture is much more crowded at the top.
Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis and Kene Nwangwu look like the clear locks, which leaves little room for anyone else on the 53-man roster. But practice squads are another matter, and Sam Scott has a chance to put himself in that conversation.
The undrafted rookie from Wyoming stood out in Monday’s training camp practice, and with Hall and Davis expected to miss the rest of the preseason, Scott should get more work. At 6-foot-1 and 213 pounds, he offers a mix of speed and power, and he’s shown good vision on the field.
His preseason opener was quiet statistically - three carries for 13 yards - but the opportunity should be bigger now.
Jamaal Pritchett is another player trying to keep his momentum going.
Plenty of Jets fans felt he got left off last year’s 53-man roster after a strong preseason, and he’s kept making plays this summer. In last week’s preseason opener, Pritchett had three punt returns for 46 yards, a 15.3-yard average, with a long of 19, and he also led the team with three catches for 24 yards.
The landscape around him has changed, though. Isaiah Williams and Kene Nwangwu emerged as two of the league’s best returners during the 2025 season, and both are set as the Jets’ return men going into 2026. That makes a roster spot for Pritchett highly unlikely.
Even so, he should keep getting chances. After the Jets cut wide receiver DT Sheffield this week, there’s less competition for return work over the next two preseason games.
If Pritchett keeps producing, the Jets could even try to turn that into late-round draft capital, the way they did with Brandon Codrington in 2024. Another possibility is simply keeping him on the practice squad, just as they did last year.
There’s also a practical reason to keep him close. Nwangwu has a history of hamstring issues, so having Pritchett available on the practice squad would give the Jets a backup return option if Nwangwu misses time in 2026.
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