Jets' Next Chopping Block Candidate Is Clear Following Cade York's Release

A third-year defender is on the hot seat.

After releasing Cade York, Jets HC Aaron Glenn is already likely thinking about the next cut to make. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With one final preseason tune-up against the Giants on tap Friday night, it is now or never for players to show they belong on the Jets' 53-man roster ahead of Sunday's 6 p.m. ET deadline.

While Andre Cisco and rookie David Bailey were two of the biggest winners to emerge from the Jets' shutout win over the Steelers in preseason Week 2, that has not been the case for other players who are firmly on the roster bubble or have already been released.

The latter was the case for kicker Cade York, who was sent packing on Tuesday amid the team's kicking troubles. With The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt officially confirming the news that New York was waiving York, it is clear that was just the beginning before other moves are made with the roster deadline looming.

The Jets are waiving Cade York, per source.

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) August 25, 2026

York was one of several players on thin ice heading into the preseason finale, and another one is defensive end Braiden McGregor.

Braiden McGregor could be on his way out of Gotham

The third-year undrafted player from 2024 has not done anything in the preseason so far to suggest anything different with just two pressures and two total tackles in 58 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Even on a team that shockingly failed to record a single interception last season and was ranked as the second-worst scoring defense (29.6 ppg), McGregor still could not make enough plays to stand out and has clearly put himself on the hot seat after just two seasons in Gang Green.

The former Michigan Wolverine only accumulated 48 total tackles in his collegiate career, as well as five passes defended, seven sacks and one forced fumble. Two years into his NFL career, McGregor has just 21 total tackles in 19 games and only one sack.

That is concerning by itself, but when you also consider that preseason darling Nate Lynn outperformed him in 31 fewer snaps with four total tackles and a pair of sacks just days after being signed, McGregor has definitely backed himself into a corner.

Braiden McGregor is running out of time to prove himself to the Jets. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What makes it worse for McGregor is the stacked defensive line unit that he is going up against in the race to claim a roster spot. Unless something changes last-minute, it appears that Joseph Ossai, Bailey, Will McDonald IV, Kingsley Enagbare, T'Vondre Sweat, Jowon Briggs, Harrison Phillips, David Onyemata and Darrell Jackson Jr. are each in line to make the roster. That could potentially leave one spot for the taking if the Jets stick to the prior history of teams going with 10 defensive linemen to begin the season.

It is not like McGregor has been without opportunities, either.

Just last season, he played a career-high 12 games and played 265 defensive snaps, only to record just 15 total tackles (one tackle for loss), one sack and eight pressures. Furthermore, he has struggled against the run and has been unreliable at generating pressure, receiving the 114th-ranked run-defense grade (33.1) and the 88th-ranked pass-rush grade (58.9) out of 115 qualified edge rushers from PFF last season.

This was already a position battle that could be decided in preseason Week 2, and McGregor did not do anything to put that notion to rest. On top of that, it is not like the Jets need to wait around any longer and wait for him to develop when they already have other quality edge rushers in Bailey, Enagbare, Ossai and McDonald.

With that said, Mazi Smith is running out of time to make the roster and has also struggled against the run and in pass-rush. Fellow defensive linemen Payton Page and Tyler Baron are not safe, either, so there is still a path for McGregor to make the roster if the Jets choose to keep five edge rushers, though Lynn's performance could be enough to put himself in the running if McGregor does not show up on Friday night.

Either way, McGregor is not guaranteed a Jets roster spot going into the preseason finale. If he does not provide the coaching staff with some optimism against the Giants, he may be the next player in Gang Green searching for a different team.

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