The New York Jets have made a roster move on report day.
Gang Green announced in a press release that they have parted ways with 6-foot-8 offensive lineman Obinna Eze. Eze and 90 of his Jets teammates reported for training camp on Tuesday, July 22.
The Jets’ social media team captured an image of Eze walking into the building with a smile on his face. Hours later, he was handed his pink slip.
Damn, Obinna Eze reported for #JetsCamp this morning & he is already out the door.
The #NFL is a cold world. https://t.co/faLWk4U1sB pic.twitter.com/UVeBYJawvU
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) July 22, 2025
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“The TCU product — who began his college career at Memphis — was originally signed by Detroit as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and spent his rookie season on the practice squad. He also had a brief stint with Pittsburgh’s practice squad in 2023 before joining the Jets’ practice squad late in the season. Eze signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets in January and was moved by the team to the NFL’s International Pathway Program in May,” Jets editorial contributor Susanna Weir wrote.
The Jets did not announce a corresponding roster move to the Eze release.
Eze Was a Former Star on HBO Max’s Hard Knocks
Eze, 27, was born in Lagos, Nigeria.
He entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022. Eze signed with the Lions, and that was the same offseason that they were featured on HBO Max’s “Hard Knocks.”
“Toward the beginning of the episode, Hard Knocks focuses on a pair of players — offensive lineman Obinna Eze and wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton — doing all they can to make the roster. As we learned in Episode 1, Eze is accustomed to long odds. He came to America from Nigeria in 2015 to pursue a basketball career, hoping to make something out of his raw athletic ability. But when he arrived, he quickly tried and fell in love with football. Though he’s only played the sport for seven years, he’s here at Lions training camp after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent out of TCU, by way of Memphis. At 6-foot-8, 325 pounds with a basketball background, the Lions were intrigued by his combination of size and athleticism. That alone can be categorized as a feel-good story,” Colton Pouncy wrote for The Athletic on August 23, 2022.
Eze was highlighted in an emotional scene with his offensive line coach for the Lions that went viral on social media on “Hard Knocks.”
“You’re cheating yourself,” offensive line coach Hank Fraley tells Eze in his meeting room, showing practice film of Eze going through the motions on an individual drill via Pouncy. “You’re cheating us. I can’t count on that. … I don’t really yell at my guys, but you’re cheating yourself. It’s not nobody — you’re cheating yourself. Don’t cheat yourself. … There’s people counting on you, right? Grind through it.”
Another Project for the Jets to Tinker With During Training Camp
Eze was a part of the NFL’s international pathway program. The Jets have another offensive lineman on the roster who is following the same path.
This offseason, the Jets signed Leander Wiegand as an undrafted free agent out of Germany. The Jets get a roster exemption for him, which means they are allowed to carry 91 players during training camp. That exemption expires for the 53-man roster when cutdown day arrives in late August.
However, the Jets are allowed to carry him on the practice squad as their 17th roster exemption player.
Wiegand could just win a job outright for the 53-man roster. If he doesn’t, the Jets can cut him, and if he clears waivers, the Jets would have a place waiting for him on the practice squad.
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