Jets claim kicker Blake Grupe and linebacker Trevin Wallace on waivers after 53-man roster cuts

The New York Jets entered the waiver wire period Monday by adding two players after league-wide initial 53-man rosters were finalized Sunday. According to the Jets, they were awarded kicker Blake Grupe and linebacker Trevin Wallace off waivers, continuing the team-building work that follows the first major roster reduction of the offseason.

The move addresses a common early-season roster problem: teams must balance stability at key positions with the flexibility to adjust when other clubs make different roster decisions. The Jets’ decision to claim Grupe and Wallace indicates an emphasis on quickly upgrading depth and competition at both special teams and defense before the regular season arrives.

In the same sequence of roster moves, New York released kicker Jason Sanders. The transaction matters because the Jets’ kicking situation did not remain static through the early cut process, meaning the coaching and roster staff preferred the waiver addition over keeping Sanders on the initial roster.

The Jets also waived offensive lineman Kohl Levao. While waiver status does not guarantee another team will claim a player, it places him in the same market the Jets used Monday to add Grupe and Wallace. For an offensive line, those decisions can reflect both present evaluation and the organization’s preferred depth chart construction.

Claimging players off waivers is also a matter of timing. Waivers come after the league finalizes initial rosters, and teams have a narrow window to act based on what other clubs did. For New York, Monday’s claims created two new roster spots while opening space for the released and waived transactions to clear the way for the roster to settle into its next configuration.

For Grupe, the practical impact is straightforward: the Jets added him as a kicker option after the team’s earlier roster decision did not keep its initial kicker attached to the final version of the early roster. For Wallace, the same principle applies on defense, with the Jets bringing in linebacker depth through the waiver process rather than leaving the competition solely to players already on the roster.

What to watch next is how quickly the Jets integrate the new additions into their team structure. In the days after waiver claims, teams typically evaluate how new players fit into special teams units and defensive packages, and whether any additional roster moves follow as the coaching staff sharpens its regular-season depth.