Saturday’s “final” cut-down day turned out to be just the beginning for the Jets, who busied themselves yesterday by claiming three players, cutting three others and — at least for the time being — putting quarterback Greg McElroy on injured reserve.
McElroy was cut Friday after losing the battle for the No. 3 quarterback spot to Matt Simms and even being unseated by former Packer Graham Harrell when the Jets surprisingly decided to keep four passers on the roster.
McElroy will be headed to the Bengals’ practice squad, according to an NFL Network report, but only if he works out an injury settlement with the Jets. He is on the Jets’ injured reserve list while they negotiate a settlement stemming from the knee injury he suffered early in the preseason. McElroy aggravated the injury in practice last week, but would be eligible to come off IR and go to Cincinnati once a settlement is reached.
As far as the roster, new Jets general manager John Idzik wasn’t as active as his fellow first-year counterparts in Jacksonville and Kansas City (each of whom claimed an NFL-high seven waived players), but Idzik’s actions indicated there will be plenty of roster tinkering to come the rest of the season.
The Jets were awarded running back Alex Green (Packers), offensive tackle Ben Ijalana (Colts) and outside linebacker Scott Solomon (Titans) after they cleared waivers 24 hours following Saturday’s league-wide deadline to reach the 53-man regular season roster limit.
To make room for the three new faces, the Jets cut running back Khalil Bell and linebacker Danny Lansanah while placing linebacker Josh Mauga (back) on injured reserve. Bell was cut despite leading the Jets in rushing in the preseason with 114 yards and four touchdowns.
The Jets stocked their practice squad, too, adding Temple receiver Michael Campbell, Central Florida linebacker Troy Davis, Utah defensive tackle Tevita Finau, California (Pa.) receiver Rontez Miles, Boston College tight end Chris Pantale and Ohio State offensive tackle J.B. Shugarts.