Chip Trayanum Just Took One Step Closer to Making Jets' Initial 53-Man Roster

The undrafted rookie is still fighting for a roster spot.

There's a good chance that Chup Trayanum will see opportunities in the Jets' backfield this fall. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the Jets head into their final preseason game against the Giants on Friday night, the pressure is on a lot of players in Gang Green as they try to secure a spot on the 53-man roster.

One player who finds himself on thin ice is undrafted rookie running back Chip Trayanum, who has not exactly taken advantage of the golden opportunity that is in front of him as fellow RBs Breece Hall (groin) and Isaiah Davis (knee) deal with injuries.

In the two preseason games, Trayanum has just 24 rush yards on nine attempts and 31 offensive snaps, in addition to two pressures allowed in five pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus. His performance has been just as poor on special teams with a missed tackle and a hold on a kick return, so it would appear that his chances of making the 53-man roster at this point are slim.

While that may be the case, the Jets made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday and waived injured players Caullin Lacy, Sam Scott and Nathan Voorhis.

Although the roster shake-up doesn't change the fact that Trayanum needs to make a strong statement in the preseason finale against the Giants to give the Jets enough confidence to keep him around, it at least gives him a shot when others have not been as fortunate.

A Jets roster spot is not entirely out of the cards for Chip Trayanum

It would have made sense if Trayanum was on that list himself, given his lack of production in the preseason so far, so it says something that he is still around and was able to survive the latest flurry of moves in Gotham.

After all, he has a lot to offer for someone who went undrafted out of college.

The former linebacker was a bruising downhill runner during his senior season at Toledo, amassing 560 of his 1,015 rushing yards after contact. Trayanum finished his collegiate career with 2,273 yards and 25 touchdowns as his performance spanned six years across four different schools.

Chip Trayanum's collegiate resume offers insight into what he could do at the NFL level. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In addition to his success as a runner, Trayanum allowed just three sacks and 13 pressures across 157 pass-blocking snaps. However, he has not proven that he can be a reliable checkdown option, with just 15 receptions for 89 yards total in his first five collegiate seasons, which is one of the reasons, in a crowded RB room, that Trayanum was most likely to find himself on the practice squad even before the preseason slate began.

It was clear when the offseason began that the RB2 battle behind Hall was going to be between the 2024 draftees Davis and Braelon Allen. With Davis coming off career-highs in rush yards (236) and receiving yards (186) in place of the injured Allen (MCL sprain) last season and Allen bringing his size and physicality to the position, this was a competition worth paying attention to prior to training camp.

Despite the injury, Davis has already turned heads at training camp with his vision and burst off the line of scrimmage. Fourth-stringer Kene Nwangwu only appeared in 30 snaps on offense last season and may be entering his final season with Gang Green, but he has been critical to the team's special teams success with an average of 33.6 yards per return and a TD last season.

In other words, Trayanum has his work cut out for him if he wants to stay in Gotham and avoid being cut by Sunday's 6 p.m. ET deadline. While other players like preseason darling Nate Lynn have been doing all the right things to secure a roster spot, Trayanum has done the complete opposite and put himself in an uncomfortable position heading into the preseason finale.

A big performance could leave one final impression on the coaching staff and give them enough of a reason to keep him around after the recent cuts. Another subpar showing, though, could be the final straw and leave him searching for another opportunity.

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