NY Jets elevate WR Lawrence Cager and OL Jimmy Murray from practice squad

The NY Jets have elevated Lawernce Cager and Jimmy Murray from the practice squad.

The NY Jets are set to enter their Week 3 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts with a beaten and battered roster, but they managed to bring in some reinforcements less than 24 hours ahead of game time.

The Jets announced on Saturday evening that they had promoted wide receiver Lawrence Cager and offensive lineman Jimmy Murray from the practice squad ahead of their Week 3 meeting with the Colts.

As is the case every week, the NFL permits teams to temporarily promote two players from the practice squad each week. This, in turn, can create a 48-player game-day roster, provided all conditions are met.

For both Cager and Murray, this is the first time that either is being temporarily promoted. Players are only allowed to be temporarily promoted twice in a season before they are subject to normal waiver rules when sent down.

Both wide receiver Josh Malone (active roster) and running back Josh Adams (practice squad) have used up their temporary promotions.

Lawrence Cager is finally set to make his NY Jets debut.

The most notable move here is obviously the promotion of Cager, a fan-favorite undrafted free agent who made a name for himself after a strong showing in the summer.

The Jets are absolutely desperate for wide receiver help and are set to enter Sunday’s game with just four “healthy” wide receivers. But of those four, Braxton Berrios is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury and Chris Hogan was limited in practice early in the week with a ribs injury.

The only two not nursing injuries are Cager and the aforementioned Malone. Things could get ugly yet again on Sunday.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how many snaps Cager receives and if he features in the offensive gameplan at all. At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, Cager will bring a unique skill set that no other receiver on the roster currently has.

His size and physicality could make him an ideal red-zone target if the Jets ever get that far this week. Look for Cager to receive some snaps on offense on Sunday.

As for Murray, his promotion might seem a little odd considering how thin the Jets are at both wide receiver and cornerback.

With only four healthy players at each position, many saw this other promotion being undrafted cornerback Javelin Guidry — especially after he was protected this week — or even another receiver.

But in reality, Murray’s promotion makes a ton of sense.

The NFL allows teams to have a 48-player game-day roster only if they dress eight offensive linemen. Right tackle George Fant is going to miss Sunday’s game with a concussion meaning the Jets could only dress seven without Murray.

And even among those seven, center Connor McGovern is only expected to be active as an emergency option as he’s dealing with a hamstring injury. Murray has history playing both center and guard so he’s simply extra depth in case more injuries occur.

For Jets fans looking for a reason to tune in on Sunday, look no further than the promising Lawrence Cager. Let’s just hope he actually sees playing time and doesn’t ride the bench.