NY Jets claim two players off waivers including a new kicker

The NY Jets have claimed two players off waivers including a new kicker.

The NY Jets may be rolling out a new kicker this Sunday after they claimed two players off waivers — one of which was former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Chase McLaughlin.

On Monday, the Jets announced that they had claimed both McLaughlin and defensive lineman Trevon Coley off waivers. The addition of the former puts the incumbent Sergio Castillo‘s job in serious jeopardy.

Castillo has been the Jets’ kicker for six games this season filling in for the injured Sam Ficken. But while Castillo started off hot making six of his first seven field goals (his only miss was blocked), his disastrous Week 14 performance might have sealed his fate.

The former CFL and XFL kicker nailed his first kick from 45 yards out on Sunday but then missed his next three field-goal attempts, all of which were within 50 yards. It was a nightmare of an afternoon for Castillo and it’s seemingly cost him his job.

McLaughlin was undrafted last season and bounced around between a whopping five teams, kicking for three of them. In 11 total games in 2019, the former Illinois kicker connected on 18-of-23 field goals and made all 26 extra-point attempts.

That includes three kicks from exactly 50 yards, all of which he made. The Jaguars signed McLaughlin off the Minnesota Vikings practice squad last month and he would go on to kick in three games for the team.

McLaughlin made 4-of-5 field goals including one from 52 yards out with his only miss coming on a desperation 62-yarder at the end of regulation last week. However, he did miss a costly extra-point in that game.

The NY Jets will have a decision to make at the kicker position

The aforementioned Ficken will be eligible to return from injured reserve this week and it remains to be seen if the Jets will opt to do so. But at the very least, it seems as though the Sergio Castillo era in New York has come to an end.

As for Coley, the former undrafted free agent spent the first two years of his career with the Cleveland Browns where he solidified a role in their defensive line rotation. Coley started 29 of 31 games in Cleveland before bouncing around with the Indianapolis Colts and later the Arizona Cardinals.

In six games this season (two starts), Coley has 14 tackles, three tackles for loss, two QB hits, and one sack.

We’ll see if either of these players manage to stick around through the end of the season.