The Jets put two of their draft picks on injured reserve while setting their initial 53-man roster on Sunday. Sixth-round guard Anez Cooper and seventh-round safety VJ Payne both landed on the list. The Jets designated both players for return and they will be eligible to come back after the first four games of the regular season. Linebacker Tyler Baron will stay on the physically unable to perform list and is also ruled out for the first four games of the year. Cornerback Tre Brown, running back Chip Trayanum, and linebacker Mykal Walker went on injured reserve without the possibility of returning during the season. The Jets also waived or released 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, TE Connor Hulstein, and RB Dominic Richardson
Jets first-round pick Kenyon Sadiq is not practicing on Tuesday for the third straight day and head coach Aaron Glenn said in his press conference that the rookie tight end will miss more time. Glenn said, per multiple reporters, that Sadiq will be out “a little bit” after suffering a setback in his recovery from hernia surgery. Sadiq, who was the 16th overall pick in April, had the procedure in May. Glenn added that he is “very confident” that Sadiq will be available for the team’s Week 1 road date with the Titans. 2025 second-round pick Mason Taylor, Jeremy Ruckert, Jelani Woods, and Chase Curtis remain available at tight end for the Jets
Over the next few months, we’ll be breaking down all undrafted free agents signed by the Jets. We continue today with a look at tight end Chase Curtis. The 26-year old Curtis is listed at 6’5” and 235 pounds and was undrafted out of TCU. He caught just 36 passes in his college career but had career highs for both receiving yards (167) and touchdowns (two) in 2025. Background As noted above, Curtis is 26, so he was one of the oldest draft-eligible players with a realistic shot of getting an NFL contract this offseason. He was a quarterback in high school and wasn’t ranked as a high school prospect so he went to play baseball at the JUCO level in 2018. Two years later, he walked onto TCU’s football team but played just three games in his first two seasons. However, he earned a scholarship ahead of the 2022 season, in which he recorded his first career catch for 37 yards. Curtis saw his role increase in 2023, as he had 15 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown in eight games, but missed the end of the season due to injury. Then, in 2024, he had seven catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in four games before again suffering a season-ending injury. In 2025, he remained healthy and caught 13 passes in 13 games, for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Curtis was not expected to be drafted and the Jets signed him to an undrafted free agent contract that included low guarantees. Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Curtis brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study. Measurables/Athleticism Curtis lacks ideal size, although he is over 80 pounds heavier than he was as a high school junior and his pro day weigh-in was 241, which is six pounds heavier than the Jets have him listed at. He also lacks ideal length. His pro day workout was excellent, headlined by a 6.97 in the three cone drill. That would have been tied for sixth best at the past five scouting combines for tight ends. He also ran a 4.70, posted average explosiveness numbers and managed 17 bench press reps. Usage Curtis was a quarterback in high school but he began his career as a wide receiver at TCU. He eventually transferred at the end of his third year in the program, at which time he had just one catch. Since moving to tight end, Curtis has lined up outside less than 10 percent of the time but he spends about a third of his snaps in the slot. He carried the ball three times, in his career, including once on a quarterback sneak for a first down. Deep threat Curtis has done most of his damage underneath or on short passes, but he has demonstrated an ability to stretch the field by getting down the seam or running wheel routes. Hands Curtis has an impressive 80 percent catch rate for his career, with zero drops, although he doesn’t have many highlight plays in his film. He did well to hold onto this catch in traffic, though. Routes You would think that, having spent some time as a wide receiver, Curtis might have some good route running skills that could benefit him in matchups with linebackers. However, he didn’t get many chances to show that at TCU, as most of his pass catching came on plays where he leaked to an open area or was left alone because he was expected to block. From what he has shown, he releases cleanly off the line and can accelerate and set up his man with deception. Red zone Curtis only had four touchdowns in his career, mostly on longer plays, but did score this red zone touchdown. After the catch Curtis hasn’t had many chances to generate yardage after the catch, and hasn’t had a lot of broken tackles, but he showed good strength and balance on this run. He hasn’t done much on the few tight end screens TCU ran with him during his career. They ran four of these and they netted a total of six yards. He had one fumble during his college career. Run Blocking Curtis made good contributions as a blocker during his TCU career but was not always consistent. He showed his ability to be a lead blocker on the
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Through the spring and summer, we will be counting down the Jets roster player by player. We continue the series by discussing Chase Curtis. Name: Chase Curtis Number: 87 Year With Jets: 1st Projected Role: Tight end practice squad contender His 2025: Curtis’ final season at TCU saw him register 13 catches for 167 yards, and 2 touchdowns. The Jets signed him as a free agent after he went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft. 2026 will be a success if: Curtis shows enough potential in training camp and the exhibition games to earn a practice squad slot. He is the longest of long shots to make the 53 man roster. He has a lot of development to do as a wide receiver. It would be tough to count on him to do much blocking. At a listed weight of 235 pounds, he would be one of the smallest tight ends in the league. There also aren’t many open roster spots at the position. Kenyon Sadiq , Mason Taylor , and Jeremy Ruckert are locks to be on the roster. There is no guarantee the Jets will keep a fourth. If they do, veteran Jelani Woods likely has the inside track. Curtis would do well by merely snagging a practice squad spot and giving himself a chance to continue developing. Odds of making the roster: Longshot (<25%)
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