The Jets’ roster churn has already turned into a bit of a maze, and Wednesday brought another round of small but telling moves as they kept trimming and reshaping the depth chart.
Kohl Levao, who originally made the 53-man roster before being cut, is back with the team on the practice squad. Cam Camper’s path was just as winding: he was cut, then added to the practice squad, then cut again. Bailey Zappe didn’t survive roster cutdown day and was the first quarterback out, while Brady Cook was later cut and signed by the Dolphins.
Even with Will Levis and Joe Milton available, the Jets went with Zappe for the practice squad, a decision that has some logic attached to it. Levao’s return fits the team’s need for offensive line depth, and he had already been viewed well enough to make the original roster.
The Zappe move, though, is harder to sell. He spent the entire offseason with the team, but he still didn’t appear to have a strong command of Frank Reich’s offense.
There is value in familiarity, but the practice squad is also the place to take a swing on upside, and Levis and Milton clearly offered more of that, even if neither turns into much. Milton going unclaimed makes the case even stronger for the Jets to try to add him, especially with their quarterback situation.
If a quarterback wants a shot to start in this league, New York looks like an appealing place to land.
The bigger-picture focus now shifts to Week 1, and that means Robert Saleh’s Tennessee Titans coming to town. Saleh spoke to the media and addressed the Jets and the opener, saying, “New York is still a special place.
Our desire to win Week 1 and beat the Jets is because it’s Week 1 and nothing more. They’ve got a hell of an offense, a chance to be really, really good.
Really under-the-radar team I think”
Saleh’s time as Jets head coach didn’t go the way anyone in New York wanted, but there’s no question he’s still well regarded as a person. And while it would be easy to dismiss his comments, he’s not wrong about the offense.
During the three seasons in which Saleh started and finished as head coach, the Jets ranked 28th, 29th and 29th in scoring offense. That side of the ball was never under his full control.
This group, though, looks different. It’s the best Jets offense since 2015, which also happens to be the last time they finished in the top 10 in scoring offense.
They haven’t cracked the top 20 in any year since then. That’s part of why the drought has stretched this long.
There are reasons to believe in this unit now. Geno Smith is still a question mark, but he has shown enough in the past to suggest he can be a competent quarterback, and he’s working with an offensive coordinator who has built a strong reputation with quarterbacks like him.
His camp was uneven, but his preseason debut showed what he can do. Breece Hall gives them a premier back because he is a premier back.
Garrett Wilson, AD Mitchell, a deep tight end room, two bookend tackles, and a respected play-caller all give this offense a real foundation.
The defense remains the side that inspires more doubt. For now, the offense is the part that looks ready to carry the conversation.
In Other News...
Jets Trade Just Put Mougey's Roster Strategy Under A Brighter Spotlight
The Jets went out and addressed a thin spot up front by bringing in offensive lineman Jordan Meredith from the Raiders, sending a 2027 sixth-round pick to Las Vegas and getting back a 2029 seventh-rounder in the deal. Meredith also agreed to a restructured one-year contract with New York worth $2 million plus incentives, with $1.9 million guaranteed, a sign the team wanted to make the move as clean and straightforward as possible.
For a roster that has spent plenty of time under the microscope, the addition fits the kind of practical depth-building that can matter most when the grind of a season arrives. New York is looking at Meredith as interior line insurance for 2026, and the move puts a little more attention on how the Jets continue to shape that part of the roster around the edges. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Kicker Search Just Took A Turn Fans Will Hate
The Jets kicking search has moved into another uneasy phase, with the team working out Justin Tucker, Michael Badgley and Joshua Karty while still sorting through options beyond Blake Grupe and Jason Sanders. It is the kind of late-summer roster exercise that usually goes unnoticed, except the Jets are dealing with a position that can swing games and erase margin for error in a hurry.
Tucker is the name that will grab attention, even if not for the reasons anyone in Florham Park would prefer. He was recently suspended for 10 games in 2025 after an NFL investigation into allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior from 2012 to 2016, and his recent on-field form has been a concern as well, with other teams passing on him after tryouts. For a Jets team still trying to settle the position, the bigger question is whether this search is about finding stability or simply waiting to see which path makes the least sense to avoid. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Took A Chance On Trevin Wallace For One Clear Reason
The Jets took a waiver swing on Trevin Wallace after Carolina moved on from the former third-round pick, and the appeal is easy to see from a roster-building standpoint. Wallace still has the kind of athletic traits teams keep betting on at linebacker, even if his first two seasons with the Panthers never translated into a steady role or the kind of consistency that usually keeps a young defender on the field.
For New York, the move is less about plugging in an immediate answer and more about trying to shape a talent that has not fully come together yet. Wallace arrives needing real development and coaching after struggling with technique in Carolina, and the Jets are clearly hoping they can turn a former high draft choice into a useful depth piece rather than another early-career disappointment. [Read more 🡒]