Nate Lynn made the most of his final chance to shake up the Jets’ roster

If Friday night was defensive end Nate Lynn’s final time in a New York Jets uniform, then he certainly picked an ideal way to go out.

Lynn recorded his third sack over two games and finished with four tackles in Friday’s Snoopy Bowl loss to the Giants. His sack came against Giants backup tackle Marcus Mbow and sent Jets fans into a frenzy on social media.

Considering that the Jets signed him less than two weeks ago, it’s easy to understand why Lynn has quickly become one of the preseason’s top stories.

“Lynn has done more in the last seven days than some guys do in an entire camp,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote on Twitter/X.

What’s next for New York Jets defensive end Nate Lynn?

At this point, the Jets have two realistic options: Keep Lynn on the 53-man roster or attempt to stash him on the practice squad. He’s done more than enough to warrant either decision despite his short time in New York.

Whether the Jets could successfully keep him on the practice squad is another question entirely. He’d appeal to teams needing immediate pass-rush help, though his familiarity with Aaron Glenn works in his favor of potentially cracking the Week 1 roster; the two overlapped in Detroit during the 2024 season, Glenn’s final year as the Lions’ defensive coordinator.

Lynn’s recent success is encouraging given that he’s yet to play an NFL game and spent his entire career at the FCS (previously known as Division I-AA) level. He earned FCS All-American honors and was a three-time first-team All-CAA lineman at William & Mary. 

Opposing offensive lines often struggled against Lynn, who recorded 28 sacks and a team-record 12 forced fumbles over five seasons with the Tribe. He nonetheless failed to receive an NFL Combine invite and subsequently went undrafted, just in case you needed more proof that the draft — especially the later rounds — is a crapshoot. 

Joseph Ossai’s foot injury may have also helped Lynn’s chances of surviving final cuts. Ossai, an offseason signee from the Bengals, left Friday’s game and did not return. As of Saturday morning, the Jets had not announced an update on his status. 

The 26-year-old Ossai had 10 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss over the last two seasons. He is expected to come off the bench as a rotational pass rusher. 

Teams must submit their initial 53-man rosters to the league by Sunday night. The revised practice squad rules mean that Lynn is eligible for one of the 16 spots.

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