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New York Jets pass rusher Braiden McGregor reacting in the middle of an NFL game against the New York Giants.
ANew York Jets pass rusher is on the chopping block.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed that defensive lineman Braiden McGregor “could be in trouble” as we head into OTAs.
McGregor, 24, will turn 25 before the start of the 2026 season. The former Michigan product entered the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2024.
He has one year remaining on his $2.85 million contract.
No Offense But…
Cimini revealed four players who he believes will be fighting for their NFL jobs with the Jets in OTAs and heading into camp.
That list included veteran safety Andre Cisco, former first-rounder Mazi Smith, and second-year wide receiver Arian Smith. Oh yeah, and McGregor.
One of these is not like the others. With all due respect, and once you say that, you can then say anything because those are the rules. Why is McGregor even listed as someone in danger? Isn’t that somewhat obvious?
Every team in the NFL has at least 90 players on their roster at this stage of the offseason. Some teams have 91 players because of the NFL’s International Pathway Program rule exemptions.
I bring that up to say, technically, 38 players on the Jets roster are in danger. The Jets will have to cut their 91-player roster down to a final 53 before the season.
McGregor is one of 38 players who could very well be handed their pink slip sooner rather than later.
The other players Cimini mentioned would be surprising or relatively noteworthy.
Cisco was a full-time starter for the Jets last year before he tore his pec halfway through the year. The former Syracuse product getting dumped would be noteworthy.
Mazi Smith is a former first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys. Seeing his name across the scrolling ticker as a potential cut would be noteworthy.
Arian Smith was the No. 110 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft. A high fourth-rounder getting dumped a year and a half later would be noteworthy.
McGregor, a former undrafted free agent, not making the team wouldn’t make any headlines.
Hard to Project the 53-Man Roster Cutdown
Who is going to make this team? Especially on the defensive side of the ball?
It’s hard to say.
Aaron Glenn is calling the Jets defense this year. Last year, it was Steve Wilks. Wilks likely had some say in the roster construction on defense in 2025.
Now that responsibility will fall on Glenn. This will be the first time that he has served as both an NFL head coach and the lead defensive play caller.
The Jets will employ a multiple-defense in 2026. That will include 3-4 and 4-3 principles. That muddies the water of exactly how many players the Jets will keep at each position on defense.
It’s hard to draw conclusions from last year, and it’s hard to draw conclusions from Glenn’s run as the defensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions.
For example, David Bailey will be a stand-up rusher in a 3-4 scheme, but in a 4-3 scheme, he will have his hand in the dirt as a defensive end.
Regardless of how you slice it, McGregor is unlikely to make the roster based on the rest of the talent in the room.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
