The New York Jets have dumped a pass catcher.
Gang Green announced on social media that they have released wide receiver Brandon Smith. This is the first move the team has made since securing their first win of the season versus the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8.
Smith signed with the Jets’ 53-man roster on Saturday, October 25. He played in just eight offensive snaps in Week 8 versus the Bengals, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Jets Appear to Be Playing Roster Gymnastics
Justin Fried, an editor for FanSided, revealed on social media that the Jets “plan to re-sign Brandon Smith to their practice squad if he clears waivers, per source.”
Smith, 26, entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He has spent time with three NFL franchises and has had two stints in the UFL.
Most recently, Smith has been with the Jets since 2024. He joined the team in August of last year. Smith performed well in the preseason, catching five receptions for 120 receiving yards. However, he didn’t make the final roster, but after clearing waivers, he returned to the team’s practice squad.
This year, it has been the same song and dance floating between the practice squad and the active roster.
Some Much Needed Reinforcements for the Jets Offense
Fried also shared that the Jets are “hoping” wide receiver Garrett Wilson will return to the team after their bye week.
Wilson hurt his knee in the Week 6 contest against the Denver Broncos. Initially, the team and Wilson feared the worst. However, they received some somewhat positive news that Wilson’s injury wasn’t as bad as they had feared.
So far, Wilson has missed two games — the first two missed games of his NFL career. With the timing of the injury, Wilson could return for the team’s Week 10 home game against the Cleveland Browns.
Wilson hurt his knee on October 12 and could return on November 9. He would have nearly a full month to recover from his injury.
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter revealed that Wilson “hyperextended” his knee.
Wilson Will Have to Make up for Some Lost Time
Nine games remain for the Jets in the 2025 regular season. Wilson has appeared in six of eight games so far this season. With those opportunities, the former Ohio State product has posted 36 receptions for 395 receiving yards and has scored four touchdowns.
Before getting injured, Wilson was on a career pace. He was on course to finish with 102 receptions for 1,119 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. That would have set new career highs in every major receiving category.
However, after missing two games, Wilson is now on track to finish with career-worst numbers. If he remains on the pace he is at, he would finish with 77 catches for 839 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
That would be the first time in Wilson’s NFL career that he finished a season with less than 1,000 receiving yards.
To flip that narrative, Wilson will have to be even better in the second half of the season to make up for lost time.
Feeding Wilson shouldn’t be a problem for this Jets offense. He had a 34% target share in this Jets offense before getting hurt.
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