The Jets parted ways with a number of their recent draft picks as they trimmed their roster to 53 on Saturday.
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan cut five players he drafted since taking over as GM in 2015. He cut three members of his 2017 draft class: wide receiver Chad Hansen, outside linebacker Dylan Donahue and cornerback Jeremy Clark. For draft picks to be cut that quickly into their careers is a mark against Maccagnan.
The Jets also cut outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin and nose tackle Deon Simon, leaving just one player on the roster from the 2015 draft. That player is first-round pick Leonard Williams, who is one of the Jets’ best players, but the results of that draft have not been pretty for Maccagnan.
The only mild surprises of the day were wide receiver Tre McBride and outside linebacker Frankie Luvu getting cut. Those two had strong training camps and made their case for roster spots. The other cuts were not that surprising.
The Jets had gotten their roster down to 71 after Friday. They also had three suspensions that kicked in Saturday at 4 p.m. — cornerback Rashard Robinson, wide receiver ArDarius Stewart and linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis. They also moved safety Rontez Miles onto reserve/physically unable to perform.
That left them with 14 cuts to make.
The Jets had some interesting camp battles. They ended up keeping six wide receivers, cutting Hansen and McBride. They kept Andre Roberts as a punt returner and Charone Peake made it, largely because of his special-teams skill.
At tight end, the Jets kept four of the five players who were fighting for spots in training camp. Veteran Clive Walford was cut.
They kept just three outside linebackers — getting rid of Luvu, Mauldin and Donahue. That would be a position they could pick someone up at Sunday through waivers.
Donahue was a fifth-round pick in 2017, but he found trouble off the field. He pled guilty to two incidents of driving while drunk, including one in which he caused a two-car accident by driving the wrong way in the Lincoln Tunnel.
The Jets kept seven cornerbacks, with Derrick Jones and Juston Burris making the team. They also held onto five safeties.
Jason Myers won the kicker battle, for now. He beat out Taylor Bertolet, but the Jets could still be looking for an upgrade at kicker.
During his first three years as GM, Maccagnan was reluctant to cut his draft picks. He only got rid of one on cut-down weekend before. But this year he let go of five of them. The 2015 class looks particularly dismal, with only Williams remaining. Maccagnan cut wide receiver Devin Smith and quarterback Bryce Petty this spring. Offensive lineman Jarvis Harrison was cut a few years ago.
Mauldin announced his own release on Instagram. He showed promise as a pass rusher with four sacks in his rookie season, but injuries and ineffective play have plagued him since. He missed much of training camp this year with a hamstring injury, ending any hope he had of making the team.
Hansen had a strong spring, but disappeared in training camp. The 2017 fourth-round pick rarely made a play in practice or in preseason games. Stewart, who was taken in the third round, could be gone when his two-game suspension ends. The Jets get to delay that decision.
Luvu looked like he would be part of the pass-rushing rotation, but he did not make enough plays in games for the Jets to hold on to him. McBride also looked like he might win a roster spot, but he did not do much on special teams and the Jets must have felt they could not keep another receiver.
The full cuts: Dylan Donahue, Chad Hansen, Lorenzo Mauldin, Deon Simon, Jeremy Clark, Tre McBride, Frankie Luvu, Clive Walford, Charcandrick West, Taylor Bertolet, Anthony Wint, Travis Swanson, Brandon Bryant and Thomas Rawls.