The Jets worked out veteran running backs Orleans Darkwa and Alfred Morris on Saturday in response to losing Elijah McGuire to a broken foot, but they added a different back to the roster on Sunday.
The team announced the signing of George Atkinson III to their 90-man roster. Tight end Bucky Hodges was waived in a corresponding move.
Atkinson is the son of former Raiders safety George Atkinson and started his NFL career as an undrafted rookie with his father’s team. He played five games for them in 2014 and bounced between the active roster and practice squad through final cuts in 2016. He landed with the Browns and ran seven times for 34 yards and a touchdown in 16 2016 games for Cleveland.
Atkinson, who spent last season on the Chiefs practice squad, joins Isaiah Crowell, Bilal Powell and Thomas Rawls on the depth chart for the Jets.
Hodges was a 2017 sixth-round pick by the Vikings and has yet to play in a regular season game.
