Rex Ryan on Jacoby Ford’s Release and Jalen Saunders’ Health

Aug 16, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Jacoby Ford (19) returns a kick off during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

It has been an interesting few days for the Jets. They have cut their roster down to 75, have a cornerback that disappeared for 48 hours, and a returning wide receiver from a mysterious illness.

The disappearing cornerback was, as we know, Dimitri Patterson, who returned to the team. At yesterday’s press conference, coach Ryan talked about one of the releases to get down to 75, Jacoby Ford:

Well, I think when we look at it, John and I, we’ll do what we think is best for our team. Obviously, Jacoby had been given a lot of opportunities, I still think he has a chance (to play in this League). He had an injury before. There seemed to be some struggles. Obviously, as a punt returner, we know he had the muffed punt and things like that, but that wasn’t the reason. We just felt that we have better options on this football team for our current situation right now. For his benefit, to have an early release like this, may provide him an opportunity to maybe catch on with another team. So we feel that the guys that we kept, we felt better about (them).

And Jalen Saunders, who is about ready to be cleared for full practice, was on the field without contact yesterday. Here is what coach Ryan had to say there:

Well, they just cleared him, so we feel good about that now. Obviously, he was in the red jersey today which is non-contact, but he will be cleared. He’s been cleared and he will be ready to roll. So expect to see a great deal of him in this game against Philly on Thursday night as a receiver as well as a punt returner.