Jets make flurry of roster moves including designating an international player

Now that the New York Jets have their finalized draft class and full array of undrafted free agents, they have had to make a few corresponding roster moves to clear some space.

The Jets announced via the team website that they waived offensive lineman Gus Hartwig, safety Chris Smith II, and designated defensive lineman Paschal Ekeji as their exempt/international player via the NFL's International Pathway Program.

New York acquired plenty of young depth in the 2026 NFL Draft and in their undrafted free agent class, so unfortunately, two players were out of a job.

Jets part with 2 players, designate international exemption

Ekeji, a former rugby star, was one of the first participants of the NFL Africa Camp. It was a program designed to give athletes from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo a chance to train and learn the game of football.

The defensive lineman first signed with the Jets' practice squad in November of last year. He never appeared in a game for New York, but the organization still saw enough to sign him to a futures/reserve deal in January.

As the designated international player, Ekeji won't count against the Jets' 90-man offseason roster. If he makes it through training camp, he also wouldn't count against the 16-man practice squad. It's worth their while to take advantage of the extra roster spot.

Unfortunately for Hartwig and Smith, they were unable to make the cut on the Jets' 90-man roster.

Hartwig had some promise coming into the NFL. An undrafted free agent out of Purdue, he played in 51 games over a five-year career with the Boilermakers.

He suffered a knee injury last summer that cost him most of training camp and landed him on injured reserve. He was taken off IR in February, but the Jets decided he was expendable.

Smith at least had some NFL experience under his belt. A 2023 fifth-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders, he appeared in 41 games over three seasons with Vegas, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Jets.

New York added two replacements in the 2026 NFL Draft for both Hartwig and Smith, drafting Miami guard Anez Cooper in the sixth round and Kansas State safety VJ Payne in the seventh.

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