Roster News: Jets Claim Whitehead, Cut Street

by Site Admin

Right before camp, the Jets have made a roster move, claiming a player who has been in the news recently.

Per Adam Schefter:

UPDATE: This was the corresponding cut:

Whitehead was just released by the Cowboys after it emerged that there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest due to a missed court appearance. It subsequently turned out that there had been a case of mistaken identity and the Cowboys came under criticism for releasing him before the full story had emerged.

However, since the release a few stories have leaked out about attitude concerns and the suggestion is that Whitehead was on thin ice anyway. While much of this perhaps was a preemptive strike against a potential grievance, it does suggest that Whitehead has some maturity concerns that he'll have to address if he hopes to make the Jets team.

Whitehead has basically been a back-up slot receiver with the Cowboys, catching just nine passes in two seasons and adding 189 rushing yards on 20 carries. However, the real interest here is in his return ability, as he has had plenty of experience and some success returning kicks and punts in his first two years. The Jets have no obvious candidate to handle these duties while Jalin Marshall is suspended for the first four games (and perhaps beyond then).

The 25-year old Whitehead is small, but athletic, having run a sub-4.4 40-yard dash at his pro day.

Street was only signed last month and didn't get much chance to make an impression.

We'll follow up with an in-depth scouting report on Whitehead tomorrow.