NY Jets release reserve defensive end John Daka

The NY Jets continued to do a little roster makeover shortly following the conclusion of the 2021 NFL Draft. After adding 10 players last weekend, the Jets subtracted one player from their roster releasing reserve defensive end John Daka.

Daka made history last year when he became the first person of Zambian descent to sign with an NFL team. The Baltimore Ravens inked the former James Madison star to a contract shortly after the 2020 NFL Draft.

Daka spent all of training camp with the organization before he was released as part of roster cuts. He was out of work for the entirety of the 2020 season before the Jets came calling in January.

The Jets signed Daka to a reserve/future contract on January 12th with the intent to carry him on the roster into the summer so he could fight for a roster spot. Evidently, plans changed.

The NY Jets will not have John Daka on the roster in 2021

The Jets made a total of 10 selections during the 2021 NFL Draft and later signed 12 players as undrafted free agents. This included former Oregon State star Hamilcar Rashed Jr. who plays the same position as Daka.

Daka shined at James Madison finishing his career with 27.5 sacks which ranks fourth in school history. He played in a whopping 51 games for James Madison also tallying 137 tackles, 47.5 tackles for loss, four pass defenses, six forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.,

His release likely has something to do with the incredibly deep defensive line rotation the Jets currently have.

The Jets signed Carl Lawson and Vinny Curry in free agency and they will be joined by 2020 holdovers such as John Franklin-Myers, Bryce Huff, Jabari Zuniga, and Kyle Phillips on the edge.

The team also bolstered their interior defensive line with the additions of Sheldon Rankins and Jonathan Marshall this offseason. Those two will add to an already-stacked interior featuring the likes of Quinnen Williams, Folorunso Fatukasi, and Nathan Shepherd.

The Jets are deep at defensive line, and John Daka became the odd-man-out.

The former FCS star will look to sign on with another team in the near future, but it looks like his Jets career could be over. At least for now.