The Jets are releasing defensive tackle Mazi Smith, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Smith is a former first-round draft pick who was part of the Quinnen Williams deal last season.
Harrison Phillips, David Onyemata, T’Vondre Sweat, Jowon Briggs and fourth-round pick Darrell Jackson Jr. were ahead of Smith on the depth chart. The writing was on the wall for Smith in the offseason when the Jets traded for Sweat and signed Onyemata in free agency.
The Cowboys selected Smith with the 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He spent a little more than two years in Dallas before the Cowboys sent him to New York as part of the blockbuster trade for Williams.
Smith appeared in eight games last season, including only three with the Jets.
In his career, Smith has 57 tackles, two sacks and six quarterback hits in 42 games.
Jets Clips
The Jets appeared to end their kicking competition this week when they released Cade York, but Jason Sanders’s performance on Friday night may have opened things back up.
Sanders missed an extra point after a touchdown in the first quarter and he missed a field goal in the fourth quarter of the game. That led to a question for head coach Aaron Glenn about whether the Jets are going to look elsewhere for help at the position before they face the Titans in Week 1.
“Am I worried about it? I didn’t like the fact that we missed these field goals, but the thing is we’re not going to panic and we’re going to make sure that we make the right decision to make sure we either fix those issues or we get the right person in here,” Glenn said, via a transcript from the team. “But Jason has been good for us. He’s been good in practice. I’m going to evaluate that and see exactly what direction we’ll go.”
Sanders spent seven seasons as the Dolphins’ kicker before missing all of last year with a hip injury.
Jets rookie running back Chip Trayanum was injured on the final play of the first half in Friday night’s preseason game against the Giants.
Giants linebacker Trace Ford reached Trayanum just as quarterback Cade Klubnik handed the ball to Trayanum on the final play of the first half. Ford trucked Trayanum, who remained on the ground as medical personnel worked on him for several minutes.
Many of the Jets remained on the field, taking a knee and watching with concern.
Rich Cimini of ESPN reports that Trayanum appeared to be wearing a neck brace as he was strapped into the cart.
Trayanum had 12 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 25 yards in the first half.
The Jets report that Trayanum is headed to the hospital, but is awake, alert and has movement in his extremities.
They have ruled out sixth-round rookie guard Anez Cooper (shoulder).
Jets pass rusher Joseph Ossai was seeing his first preseason action Friday night. It didn’t last long.
Ossai injured his left foot after 11 snaps, two tackles and one pressure.
The Jets list him as questionable to return.
Ossai began camp on the active/physically unable to perform list.
He signed with the Jets on March 12. A third-round pick of the Bengals in 2021, he has totaled 116 tackles, 44 quarterback hits and 14.5 sacks.
In 2025 with the Bengals, Ossai played a career-high 616 defensive snaps and logged 71 special teams snaps.
Cade York has lost the Jets’ kicking competition.
The Jets are waiving York, according to Zack Rosenblatt of TheAthletic.com.
That leaves Jason Sanders as the only kicker on the Jets’ roster. That doesn’t necessarily mean Sanders will be their kicker in Week One — it’s possible that the Jets could acquire another kicker before the start of the regular season — but it at least leaves Sanders as the last kicker standing for now.
Reporters at Jets practice have said that both York and Sanders have been struggling, but Sanders apparently has been better. York missed a field goal in last week’s preseason game, while Sanders has gone 2-for-2 on field goals in the preseason.
The 25-year-old York signed with the Jets in March. He has bounced around the league with the Browns, Titans, Giants, Commanders, Bengals and Saints.
The 30-year-old Sanders, who missed all of last season with a hip injury, had played his entire career with the Dolphins until they released him in March. Sanders spent two months with the Giants this offseason before they waived him and the Jets claimed him.
Jets running back Breece Hall has missed the last week of work with a groin injury, but the team isn’t showing much concern about his status for the season opener.
Head coach Aaron Glenn said on Monday, via multiple reporters, that Hall is on track to play against the Titans on September 13. Video from Monday’s practice show Hall moving well on a side field as he goes through the rehab process.
Glenn said that the team also expects tight end Kenyon Sadiq to play in the opener. The first-round pick has been sidelined after a procedure to address a hernia.
Second-round corner DeAngelo Ponds (calf) and running back Isaiah Davis (knee) round out the group of injured players that the team is planning to have in Tennessee.
The Jets did some roster shuffling in the wake of Friday night’s game against the Steelers.
They announced that they have signed linebacker Anthony Dunn, running back Dominic Richardson, and safety Tanner Wall. They take the roster spots of wide receiver Caullin Lacy, running back Sam Scott, and linebacker Nate Voorhis. All the departing players were waived with injury designations.
Dunn signed with the Chiefs after going undrafted and was let go last week while Richardson has spent time with the Cowboys and Titans this offseason. Wall signed with the Raiders this spring and spent time with the Dolphins this month.
The Jets will close out their preseason schedule against the Giants this week.
Quarterback Geno Smith’s first game action since returning to the Jets couldn’t have gone much better.
Smith, who sat out last week with a sore ankle, played the first possession of Friday night’s game against the Steelers and went 7-of-7 for 65 yards. His final pass was a 13-yard touchdown to tight end Jelani Woods and head coach Aaron Glenn said after the game that it was just what the team hoped to see from the veteran.
“Very very efficient, he looked very comfortable,” Glenn said, via the team’s website. “Exactly what we were looking for. But again, we still have some things we got to work on because our run game wasn’t where it needs to be.”
Glenn said there’s been no decision about playing Smith in the preseason finale next week. Whatever that call turns out to be, Friday night’s outing left the Jets feeling comfortable with the prospect of having Smith back in the saddle for the 2026 season.
Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith made his preseason debut on Friday night.
He had an effective, efficient drive, leading the Jets on a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive.
Smith went 7-for-7 for 65 yards and a touchdown, a 13-yard throw to Jelani Woods. He hit six different receivers, including left guard Dylan Parham on a deflection.
Garrett Wilson made one catch for 10 yards.
Smith turned the reins over to rookie Cade Klubnik on the Jets’ next drive.
The Raiders traded Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Jets for a 2026 sixth-round pick. He returned to the franchise that drafted him in the second round in 2013.
Smith went 2-13 as a starter last season, throwing for 3,025 yards with 19 touchdowns and a league-high 17 interceptions.
Woody Johnson is two-thirds of the way to the planes, trains, and automobiles trifecta.
The Jets owner has purchased a minority stake in the Aston Martin F1 team, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.
“During my time as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, I have developed a deep appreciation for Aston Martin’s rich history, as well as [executive chairman] Lawrence Stroll’s strategic vision and entrepreneurial spirit,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson will join the team’s board of directors as a vice chairman.
He bought the Jets in 2000. The team last made the playoffs in 2010.
Johnson also owns 43 percent of Crystal Palace of the Premier League.
Jets fan presumably would like Johnson’s attention to be diluted as much as possible by other sports ventures, in order to minimize his influence over the Jets.
