Jets release kicker Jason Sanders after claiming Blake Grupe
New York kept the kicker competition alive through cutdown, then moved on from Sanders once the team claimed Grupe off waivers.
The Jets released kicker Jason Sanders shortly after claiming Blake Grupe off waivers, per Tom Pelissero. The move completes New York's kicker competition before Week 1.
Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero): After claiming Blake Grupe, the Jets have released kicker Jason Sanders.
Sanders had been named the Week 1 kicker entering the preseason finale, but a missed extra point and a missed field goal in that final exhibition likely sealed his roster spot. Grupe gives the Jets a younger leg with experience in the Saints' system, and the Jets now carry a single kicker on the 53-man roster.
Washington carried both kickers through most of camp, so the release comes as a late-cutdown decision rather than a surprise. Still, dropping a kicker with prior regular-season success is a rare move so close to the regular season.