The New York Jets reduced their roster to 80 on Friday afternoon, meeting the NFL-mandated deadline, by cutting offensive tackle Pete Clifford, running back Chris Jennings, offensive guard Dennis Landolt, linebacker Joey LaRocque, offensive tackle Nevin McCaskill, defensive back Davon Morgan, center Zane Taylor, and tight end Keith Zinger. Looking over their body of work, it's fairly easy to see why the Jets made the choices they did.
Clifford, a former Michigan State Spartan, played sparingly in the preseason.
Jennings' preseason resume includes one 69-yard dash in the Jets' 27-7 win against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he gained just 10 yards on his five other preseason carries. His only prior NFL experience came in 2009, when he made nine appearances for the Cleveland Browns.
The Jets were Landolt's third NFL team, following stints on the New York Giants' and San Francisco 49ers' practice squads, but the undrafted Burlington, New Jersey native will have to try latching on elsewhere. He appeared in each of the Jets' preseason contests, including a start Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
LaRocque, the 243rd overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, signed with New York on Jan. 5 and did not impress in the preseason, assisting on just one tackle in his three games.
McCaskill's second go-round with the Jets ended the same way the first one did: with a cut. He's been on seven teams' practice squads since going undrafted in 2007, but has yet to make an appearance in a regular-season game. However, the Jets were the first of his employers to give him another look, so perhaps that's a positive sign for the 27-year-old.
Like LaRocque, Morgan's only preseason statistic is an assisted tackle, making him expendable. Time is on the rookie's side, however: he's just 22 years old.
A rookie from Utah, Taylor played in all four of New York's exhibition contests, and earned a start Thursday night against Philadelphia.
Zinger didn't record any statistics--not even a single catch--this preseason. His NFL resume spans a mere fifteen games. He made one catch for seven yards as a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 2009.
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