The Jets needed linebacker help fast, and they got it Tuesday morning by signing veteran Troy Reeder to the active roster, according to SNY’s Connor Hughes. After Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers left the position group battered, New York had to add another body to the 53-man roster.
The injury list from that game did the damage. Marcelino McCrary-Ball went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter and was carted off.
Kiko Mauigoa was listed with a quad injury and never returned. That leaves the Jets leaning heavily on Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood, with very little proven depth behind them.
Reeder is familiar as a special teams piece, and that’s where he has already made his first impact in New York. He appeared in one game for the Jets before this signing, having been elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s loss to Green Bay. In that game, he logged three tackles across 25 special teams snaps.
There’s also a chance the 32-year-old linebacker gets a look on defense, depending on how the injuries shake out. If that happens, the Jets may have more than just a warm body.
Pro Football Focus credited Reeder with a 73.9 overall grade in limited defensive work last season with the Los Angeles Rams. He wasn’t on the field enough to qualify among his peers, but the numbers were encouraging: a 77.5 coverage grade and a 61.0 run-defense grade.
If Reeder isn’t the answer in the front seven, the Jets will have to keep leaning on Trevin Wallace, the other linebacker addition they made around roster cutdown time. Wallace arrived from the Carolina Panthers after the cutdowns and has yet to play a game for New York. The Jets have kept him on the sideline so far as he learns the defense, but his draft pedigree still gives him some appeal as a reserve option while McCrary-Ball and Mauigoa are out.
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