Getty Former New York Jets running back Austin Walter running around during practice.
The New York Jets have begun to trim the fat on their roster ahead of the 2022 season.
Gang Green announced three cuts and some official signings from their undrafted free agent class.
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So Long Partner
On Friday, May 6 the Jets announced that they had waived safety Zane Lewis, offensive lineman Isaiah Williams, and running back Austin Walter.
Lewis tore his patella tendon and suffered an MCL sprain during training camp which forced him to miss all of last season.
Williams was a reserve offensive lineman that was active for four games last season but never registered a meaningful statistic.
Finally, Walter was a feel-good story in the backfield this past year.
The 5-foot-8, 202-pounder had a bad run during the preseason last year and was released. Eventually, he got another opportunity to step up to the plate and made the most of it.
Walter ended up playing in four games and had his moment in the sun during the Week 12 matchup versus the Houston Texans. The former Rice product ended up scoring the first touchdown of his career as a longtime Texas native in front of his home crowd.
¡JETS TOUCHDOWN! #TakeFlight
El cuarto RB, Austin Walter con el TD y luego la conversión de Josh Johnson.
Jets 11-14 Texans | #NFL
Unfortunately, it was a numbers game at the running back position and Walter simply lost out:
New Signings Official
With old players going out, inevitably new players have entered the fold.
The Jets officially announced the signing of five undrafted free agents:
- Keshunn Abram, wide receiver, Kent State
- Tony Adams, safety, Illinois
- Irvin Charles, wide receiver, Indiana (PA)
- Zonovan “Bam” Knight, running back, NC State
- DQ Thomas, linebacker, Middle Tennessee State
Thomas has a path to the roster with all of the holes at linebacker and the Jets paid him handsomely after the draft.
It’ll be difficult for the pair of wide receivers to make the final roster with the amount of star power and depth.
Although the two players who you should circle on the roster sheet are Adams and Bam.
Right now the two starting safeties are Jordan Whitehead and Lamarcus Joyner, but Gang Green is certainly open to someone taking that job away from Joyner.
So there is a clear path for Adams to make the roster and claim a significant role.
Jumping over to the other side of the ball, the top of the Jets backfield is pretty set however they’re lacking a pure power style back.
Knight comes in at 5-foot-10, 209 pounds, and has a proven resume.
He has had at least 745 rushing yards in every collegiate season of his career. On top of that, the former NC State product also finished with 18 rushing touchdowns. If you squint he could have a realistic shot of joining the backend of the backfield on the final 53-man roster.
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