The New York Jets have made their first roster move since their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Gang Green announced that they have signed veteran wide receiver Tyler Johnson to the active roster. The team also announced that they have added offensive lineman Liam Fornadel to the practice squad.
We’ve signed WR Tyler Johnson to the active roster and signed OL Liam Fornadel to the practice squad.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) September 8, 2025
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Johnson Returns to the 53-Man Roster Full-Time
On Saturday, September 6, the Jets elevated Johnson from the practice squad for the Steelers game. This was a temporary elevation, and Johnson was set to be on the active roster in Week 1 and then was scheduled to revert to the practice squad on Monday, September 8.
Instead of letting that happen, the Jets have signed Johnson outright to the roster.
The Jets had 52 players on their roster heading into Week 1 after placing starting right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker on injured reserve. That opened up a roster spot, but the team didn’t immediately fill it. Now they have.
Johnson initially joined the team during free agency on a one-year deal.
During the preseason, Johnson caught two receptions for 27 yards. In the Week 1 contest against the Steelers, Johnson finished with two catches for 31 receiving yards.
With 5:59 remaining in the second quarter, the Jets had the ball up 16-10 over the Steelers. The pocket collapsed around Fields. He stepped up, kept his eyes downfield, and found Johnson.
Fields fired the ball to Johnson with a Steelers defender draped all over him. It was one of the big highlight plays of the season opener.
#Gophers Tyler Johnson making plays!
— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) September 7, 2025
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Jets Round out Their Practice Squad With OL Addition
With Johnson going from the practice squad to the active roster, that left a void to be filled.
The Jets brought back a familiar face with that final PS spot.
“Fornadel (6-4, 312) was signed by the Jets in July and appeared in all three preseason games for the Green & White before he was waived in August. The James Madison product most recently spent time with the DC Defenders of the UFL, his second stint with the team. He also played for the Defenders in 2023-24. He first signed with the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers after he went undrafted in 2022. Fornadel had a stint with the Patriots in 2024 and spent most of last season on their practice squad before he was released in December. Fornadel, who is from Wyckoff, NJ, and played at Don Bosco Prep in high school, started 40 games in college at JMU (31 at RT, 8 at LT),” Jets editorial contributor Susanna Weir wrote in a press release.
Breaking Down Jets WR Room
ESPN’s Rich Cimini said on social media that Johnson’s addition now gives the Jets six wide receivers on the 53-man roster.
The Jets signed WR Tyler Johnson to the 53-man roster. He was a practice-squad elevation in Week 1. Now they have six WRs on the 53. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) September 8, 2025
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The other five receivers on the team are: Garrett Wilson, Arian Smith, Josh Reynolds, Xavier Gipson, and Allen Lazard.
Lazard was a healthy scratch in Week 1 versus Pittsburgh. That raised a lot of eyebrows because Lazard seemed in line to be a starter or, at the very least, a top contributor.
Head coach Aaron Glenn spoke to the media on Monday, September 8, and explained (via Jet Nation on social media), “Lazard missed two weeks of training camp, so we wanted to make sure he was up to speed on everything we were doing, so we’ll see how that goes this week”.
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