Still without Revis, Jets make cuts and keep WR Clowney, RBs Woodhead, CWashington
By Dennis Waszak Jr., APSaturday, September 4, 2010
Still no Revis as Jets make roster cuts
NEW YORK — The Jets are moving on without Darrelle Revis — for now.
While the star cornerback’s holdout reached its 35th day Saturday, with no end in sight, New York made its mandatory roster cuts to get down to 53 players.
“Darrelle’s not here and we’ve planned accordingly,” general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. “We’ve said that all along that, organizationally, we have to move forward. We’re playing Baltimore in a little over a week, and that’s what we’re prepared to do.”
Revis, entering the fourth year of his six-year rookie deal, wants to become the league’s highest-paid cornerback. That distinction belongs to Oakland’s Nnamdi Asomugha, who signed a three-year, $45.3 million extension last offseason.
Both the Jets and Revis’ agents agreed to keep negotiations confidential after things got testy through the media during training camp. There have been no indications that the sides are any closer to a deal, with the Jets set to open against the Ravens on Sept. 13.
“I can’t really comment on the specifics of the negotiations,” Tannenbaum said. “I just want to honor the agreement that we’re not going to talk about it right now.”
With Revis on the reserve-did not report list, the Jets have six players listed as cornerbacks on the roster, including potential starters Antonio Cromartie and first-round pick Kyle Wilson.
“We feel good about our depth at corner,” Tannenbaum said. “We have six guys that we think can hold up and that’s who we’re going to be moving forward with.”
Marquice Cole and Brian Jackson were also among the defensive backs on the bubble who were kept.
“Depth at that position was a necessity,” said Tannenbaum, citing coach Rex Ryan’s penchant for having many defensive backs. “Obviously, without Darrelle here, that necessity gets exacerbated.”
Wide receiver David Clowney and running backs Danny Woodhead and Chauncey Washington were also among the players who survived the cuts.
Among the notable players waived were a pair of former CFL stars in wide receiver Larry Taylor and linebacker Ricky Foley, former Michigan star defensive back Donovan Warren and fullback Jason Davis, who was featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
Clowney was on the bubble all summer, but made the team — possibly as insurance until Santonio Holmes returns from a four-game suspension in Week 5. Holmes was officially placed on the reserve-suspended list after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy before being acquired from Pittsburgh in April.
The speedy Clowney is trying to make his mark on special teams as a gunner to replace the departed Wallace Wright.
“I think with David, if he can become more consistent in the kicking game, I think his security would be enhanced,” Tannenbaum said. “He provides an explosive element for us and we’re moving forward with him. What happens after that, we’ll see.”
The Jets have only four wide receivers on the active roster, with Clowney, Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards and Brad Smith, and could be looking for one on waivers. New York has also said it would be interested in bringing back Laveranues Coles, who was cut last week, after the first week of the season.
Woodhead and Washington had solid performances this summer, but it was a mild surprise that the Jets kept both. They give New York seven running backs, including Shonn Greene, LaDainian Tomlinson, struggling fourth-round pick Joe McKnight, and fullbacks Tony Richardson and fifth-round pick John Conner.
Woodhead, generously listed at 5-foot-9, is shifty and can also line up at wide receiver. Washington is a physical runner who also stood out on special teams as a tackler. Both outplayed McKnight, who had three fumbles, in the preseason.
“With Joe, obviously, he was a little bit more inconsistent than we had hoped in the preseason,” Tannenbaum said. “There’s going to be a number of spots that are going to be up for grabs in practice, and Joe’s going to have to go out there and earn it.”
New York also has an unusually high number of tight ends, keeping Dustin Keller, Ben Hartsock, Matt Mulligan and Jeff Cumberland. However, the roster could — and likely will — still change Sunday, when players who appeared safe Saturday will be waived.
“We’re about 2-to-3,000 calories away from finalizing this roster,” Tannenbaum said. “I’m very optimistic that that’s on the low end. It’s amazing how many pretzel M&M’s have been shipped in here.”
He expects the Jets will put in some waiver claims, with the deadline at noon EDT on Sunday.
“We’ll be here for quite a while tonight, I’m sure of that,” Tannenbaum said.