Landon Young Still Has More Hurdles to Climb to Make Jets' 53-Man Roster After Rookie Minicamp

The veteran blocker is on the right track; however, that doesn't change that he has a lot left to prove to New York.

Landon Young's path to the 53-man roster isn't as straightforward as he'd like. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Jets' rookie minicamp is over and done with, as head coach Aaron Glenn got a chance to see his new draft and undrafted free-agent classes for the first time. Fourth-round pick Cade Klubnik stole the show over the weekend, giving fans a glimpse of the future.

But that didn’t stop a veteran like Landon Young from making a noticeable impression on the coaching staff and earning a spot on the 90-man roster for a chance to win a job on the final 53-man roster later this summer.

On Sunday, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reported that the Jets signed Young following the conclusion of minicamp and parted ways with wide receiver Mac Delana to make room for the former New Orleans Saints lineman.

The Jets are signing veteran offensive lineman Landon Young, per source.

Young played for the Saints for the last four years. He tried out at the Jets rookie camp. Has guard/tackle flex.

The Jets are also releasing WR Mac Dalena.

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) May 10, 2026

When Jets fans caught wind of this signing, some thought this could be immediate competition for Max Mitchell, who the team re-signed earlier this offseason.

Both Mitchell and Young have the versatility to play tackle, but can line up inside at guard. However, based on what Young has shown throughout his career with the Saints, he still has a way to go to prove to the Jets that he deserves a 53-man roster spot over Mitchell or Chukwuma Okorafor.

Landon Young gives Jets more o-line depth, but he still has a way to go to win a job on the 53-man roster

The 6-foot-7, 321-pound Young did not play all of last season for the Saints. He suffered an ankle injury in the Saints’ preseason final, which forced him to go on injured reserve. While he predominantly played right tackle over his first four seasons in the Big Easy, he had played a significant amount at both guard spots in 2024.

However, that experiment did not go well for Young. He showed some promise as a run blocker with a 67.7 grade on 141 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. It wasn’t the same story in pass protection, as Young struggled mightily, posting a 30.0 grade (career worst) on 252 pass-blocking snaps and giving up 16 pressures.

The last time Young surrendered double-digit pressures in a season was in 2022 (10) as a tackle, where he saw time at left and right. Therefore, if you’re Glenn, you should want to see if Young continues to show growth and improvement over the next several weeks.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn will need to see more from Landon Young this summer before throwing him into a bigger role. | John Jones-Imagn Images

As things stand, New York isn’t necessarily in a rush to move on from Mitchell or Okorafor, who are fine backup offensive linemen.

Mitchell has spent his entire career with the Jets, who took him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s appeared in 45 games, but has 17 starts under his belt, with a bulk of those coming in 2023 (7). During that 2023 season, Mitchell had an overall grade of 49.3 on PFF, which is not great.

Mitchell's versatility has been his saving grace, as teams love to have guys who can move around in case of injury.

Meanwhile, Okorafor is back for his second season with the Jets, as he played on special teams (45 snaps). The 28-year-old lineman also has a ton of starting experience under his belt. In fact, there was a three-year stretch with the Steelers, during which Okorafor was a full-time starter. He’s their best backup tackle in case an injury were to happen to Olu Fashanu or Armand Membou.

That said, Young has a long journey ahead of him to get on the 53-man roster. He passed the first test, which was New York's rookie minicamp. Now he can make some noise when the veterans arrive, with this year's organized team activities (OTAs) starting on Wednesday, May 27.