Jets are wasting a roster spot on Arian Smith and it has to stop

Any attempt at justifying why the New York Jets continue to use a roster spot on wide receiver Arian Smith may have just gone up in smoke after he was one of the chief contributors to the team blowing a fourth-quarter lead in their 20-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2.

Smith played just one offensive snap against Green Bay, but it was on special teams where he really struggled. Smith, who was one of the team's gunners on punt coverage, whiffed on tackling Packers returner Skyy Moore late in the fourth quarter, setting up a punt return that put the ball in the Jets' red zone and eventually allowed Green Bay to tie the game.

The Jets only dressed four wide receivers in this game, which could have given Smith the snaps he needed to prove the fanbase wrong. With just one snap, Smith is out there exclusively for special teams. When his special teams are that inept, what is the point of keeping him around?

New York Jets can no longer use a roster spot on Arian Smith

In his Jets career, Smith has caught just seven passes for 52 yards and has constantly struggled with the drop issues that have plagued him since his college days. The Jets clearly mis-evaluated his potential as a pass catcher, as his straight-line speed is about the only positive trait he has shown in the NFL.

Even if he was a fifth-round pick, Smith is probably gone. Getting him with a pick that was a few ticks off from being on Day 2 means the Jets had plans to make him a big part of their passing game. While they look foolish after whiffing on that pick, throwing him back out there is only going to make this team look worse.

Mougey is essentially trying to justify his purchase of a grabber by chopping his arm off. Smith is not making the Jets a better team when he is on the field.

The New York Jets have replacements for Arian Smith

The Jets made a few veteran practice squad additions after Cooper's injury, signing Sterling Shepard and 2025 holdover Tyler Johnson. Both of them should be active on game days over Smith. Even if the Jets don't want to activate two veterans, why not give Malik McClain a shot?

McClain impressed on special teams and as a boundary receiver in the preseason. Even if he doesn't get a ton of offensive snaps on a team that is leaning into its use of multiple tight end sets, based purely on merit, McClain deserves a shot to show the Jets what he can do.

Darren Mougey's 2025 NFL Draft class is not looking very good after the first three rounds, and using a top pick on a player who should have been selected in the sixth or seventh round is the biggest mistake he made in that class. Rather than try to justify it, just chalk Smith up as a loss and move on.

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