There are a lot of roster spots in flux ahead of the 53-man cutdown.
It appears one of those spots on the New York Jets’ roster is now accounted for.
Beat reporter Nick Faria of Jets X-Factor told me on “Boy Green Daily” that Kene Nwangwu locked in a roster spot with his performance versus the New York Giants.
“Quite frankly, I think Kene Nwangwu locked that up in the preseason action, not just as a returner but also on special teams. He had a great save to keep a punt inside the 10-yard line. I thought Nwangwu was great, and I think he more than deservedly opened up a roster spot for himself after that game,” Faria told me.
The former Iowa State product was named a second-team All-Pro returner back in 2022 when he was on the Minnesota Vikings.
Took Jets a Lot Less Time to Figure It out This Time
Nwangwu, 27, first joined the Jets roster on September 9, 2024. He started off his journey on the practice squad.
That is where he would remain until his regular-season debut with the team on the active roster on December 1.
In that opening game debut versus the Seattle Seahawks, Nwangwu immediately rewarded the Jets with a 99-yard kick return touchdown.
Kene Nwangwu returns the kickoff 99 yards for a Jets touchdown!
📺: #SEAvsNYJ on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/ow79ghEH2E— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
While that was certainly an amazing moment, it left a lot of people wondering what took so long.
The Jets signed him before the season started, but didn’t put him into a game until Week 13 when the team was already 3-8?
That was a previous coaching staff’s decision; this coaching staff has seemingly figured out that Nwangwu can benefit the team a lot sooner.
Nwangwu Named Standout Performer in Jets-Giants Game
Nwangwu returned the opening kickoff of the Jets-Giants game 38 yards.
“This was our bread and butter, basic return,” Nwangwu described the play via Jets editorial contributor Susanna Weir. “I think everyone was on the same page, dominating blocks. So, for me, I’ve just got to make a person miss and probably would’ve scored a touchdown.”
As Faria told me, it wasn’t just the splash plays in the return game that raised eyebrows. He also contributed as a gunner on special teams.
Jets punter Austin McNamara sent a boot high into the night sky. It appeared destined to be a touchback; however, Nwangwu “leapt up to tip the ball back and keep it out of the end zone, and LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball was there to down it at the 7-yard line,” Weir explained.
“I’m just trying to establish value on this team,” Nwangwu said via Weir. “For me, wherever I can be used, I’m just trying to make plays and just help our team get advantages.”
Weir listed Nwangwu among her top standouts from the game over the weekend.
Jets OC Appears to Be Cooking With Some Special Ideas
One of my big observations from Jets-Giants joint practice was how offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand was featuring Nwangwu.
He got a ton of work during training camp as one of the top options in the backfield.
Interestingly, though, throughout his four-year NFL career, he has only totaled 27 carries.
However, it appears Engstrand has a plan to utilize him on the offensive side of the ball. We saw a glimpse of that during the Week 2 preseason game.
Nwangwu finished with six carries for 31 rushing yards.
“At the end of the second quarter, he took three consecutive handoffs and picked up 13 yards and a first down to begin a drive that ended with a 31-yard field goal by K Nick Folk as the first half expired,” Weir said.
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