Sixth-round guard Anez Cooper and seventh-round safety VJ Payne, two of the New York Jets’ 2026 draft picks, are already headed to injured reserve before the regular season even kicks off. This tough news came down Sunday as the Jets finalized their initial 53-man roster.
Rookies On The Shelf, Others Out For Good
Both Cooper and Payne have been designated for return, which is a silver lining. They will be eligible to come back to the field after the first four games of the regular season, so we won’t see them suit up until Week 5 at the earliest. It’s a real gut punch for young guys trying to make their mark right out of the gate. On top of that, linebacker Tyler Baron will start the season on the physically unable to perform list, also missing the first four games. The Jets are going to need some depth to step up in these early weeks.
More Roster Moves Shake Things Up
The IR list isn’t just for temporary setbacks, though. Cornerback Tre Brown, running back Chip Trayanum, and linebacker Mykal Walker were all placed on injured reserve without the possibility of returning at all during the season. That’s a season-ending blow for those guys. To get to their initial 53-man squad, the Jets also made a ton of other moves, waiving or releasing a long list of players including DB Mory Bamba, WR Junior Bergen, WR Cam Camper, S Dean Clark, DB Jordan Clark, QB Brady Cook, LB Anthony Dunn, LB Paschal Ekeji, OL Courtland Ford, G Liam Fornadel, DB Keenan Garber, G Marquis Hayes, DT Jack Heflin, OL Xavier Hill, LB Jaden Keller, LB Nate Lynn, WR Malik McClain, S Jarius Monroe, DL Payton Page, WR Jamaal Pritchett, WR Quincy Skinner, DL Mazi Smith, DL Junior Tafuna, S Tanner Wall, LB Chase Wilson, OL Xavier Newman-Johnson, CB Samuel Womack, OL Landon Young, QB Bailey Zappe, TE Chase Curtis, and TE Connor H.
With their roster set and some key players already sidelined, the Jets are heading into Week 1 with some immediate challenges. It’s going to be interesting to see how the squad handles these early bumps and who steps up in the absence of those draft picks.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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