NY Jets place three players on PUP list, waive one undrafted free agent

The NY Jets placed three players on the PUP list as part of a few roster moves on Thursday.

The NY Jets made a flurry of roster moves on Thursday night including placing three veterans on the PUP list to begin training camp and waiving one undrafted free agent.

The Jets announced that they had placed quarterback Joe Flacco, tight end Ryan Griffin, and linebacker Avery Williamson on the PUP list while they also placed tight end Daniel Brown on the non-football injury list.

At the same time, they also announced that they had waived defensive lineman Domenique Davis after the rookie had failed his physical.

Davis was signed by the team as an undrafted free agent shortly after the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft. However, the UNC-Pembroke product never stood much of a chance at making the final 53-man roster.

The Jets gave Davis the smallest amount of guaranteed money out of all nine of their undrafted signings with under $1,000 given to the young defensive lineman. Plus, given the Jets’ defensive line depth, it was always an uphill battle, to begin with.

Aside from Davis, the Jets also made a number of injury-related roster moves. But what exactly do these moves mean?

What should we take away from the NY Jets’ latest roster moves?

There are two types of PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) lists that players can be placed on. The one most fans are familiar with is likely the Reserve/PUP list which players can be placed on at the beginning of each season.

If a player lands on this list, they are required to sit out for the first six weeks before returning to practice and the first eight weeks before appearing in a game. Jets’ cornerback Blessuan Austin was notably placed on this list as he continued his rehab during the early portion of last year.

However, this isn’t the list that Flacco, Griffin, and Williamson were placed on. Instead, they were placed on the Active/PUP list which is used to stash players prior to the start of the season.

Players on this list can’t participate in training camp or practice, but they are eligible to be activated at any point before the start of the season. And if they are, then they won’t miss any regular-season games.

That’s likely the Jets’ plan for Flacco, Griffin, and Williamson. All three are still rehabbing injuries and will use the next month or so to continue doing that. And for now, they won’t count against the current roster limit meaning the Jets won’t need to cut as many players.

Simply put, this is a procedural decision.

The only player with any realistic chance of missing Week 1 is Flacco who is rehabbing a neck injury he underwent surgery for in the offseason. But for the other two, expect them to be activated before the start of the year.

As for Brown, the same is true. The Jets will have the opportunity to activate him off the Active/NFI list before the season begins. If he’s not ready, they could move him to the Reserve/NFI list which would force him to miss the first eight weeks of the season.

The situations of all four players bear monitoring, but it’s important to remember that these were just procedural moves and nothing more.