minsta

Jets cut bait on another Joe Douglas draft mistake, sign former All-Pro KR

Pabio December 3, 2024

It was easy to forget that Israel Abanikanda was still on the ground. New York Jets“Roster of 53 players.

After all, the 2023 fifth-round pick was a good scratch for each of the first 12 games of the season.

On Monday afternoon, the Jets decided to move on from the second-year running back who leaves with just 70 career rushing yards to his name. Creating a roster spot to sign running back and kick returner Kene Nwangwu from New York’s practice squad released Brooklyn-born Abanikanda.

Nwangwu, a former fourth-round pick who was banged up last summer, signed a P-Squad contact with the Jets at the start of the regular season. He was brought up in a game for the first time in Week 13 and was wonderful on special teams against the Seattle Seahawks.

Nwangwu, 26, forced a fumble on kick coverage and returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown as the Jets took a 21-7 lead in the first half. Rediscovering his past prowess, the Minnesota Vikings’ 2021 draft pick earned All-Pro honors in 2022 when he caught 35 kickoffs for 920 yards.

“Kene, what a great story. The guy worked hard late and earned this (opportunity) to be up and he’s so excited for him and this whole unit to bring it home and score like we did done,” interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said Monday morning.

Meanwhile, Abanikanda, the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference rushing champion, has been unable to play a role for his hometown team. Criticized for his inability to protect against the pass, the former Pitt star was unable to get on the field at the professional level. He made six appearances as a rookie in 2023, but seemingly fell out of favor by failing to develop on schedule.

It’s telling that the Jets didn’t bother trying Abanikanda as a kick returner, an area he had success in as a college kid. When the NFL announced its new kickoff format, team executives took a close look at former No. 143 draft pick and signed draft pick Tarik Cohen.

Abanikanda, who could end up with the Jets on a practice squad basis, is the latest in a string of third-day draft misses by Recently fired CEO Joe Douglas.

Using fourth-round picks on running backs in consecutive years, Douglas drafted La’Mical Perine at 120th overall in 2020 and Michael Carter at 107th overall in 2021. Neither player is currently part of a 53-man NFL roster. list.