Jets return Jason Sanders to the practice squad after claiming Blake Grupe

The New York Jets’ kicking competition took another turn as the team cycled veteran Jason Sanders back onto its practice squad shortly after releasing him following the claim of fellow kicker Blake Grupe. The move underscores how narrow the margin can be in the final stages of roster construction, especially for a position that can swing field position and game timing with one sequence.

According to the report, the Jets released Sanders when they claimed Grupe off waivers on Monday. But Sanders was re-signed to the practice squad not long after, keeping him in the organization and available to work with the team’s special teams unit as it decides who will handle placekicking responsibilities.

Sanders’ reappearance on the Jets’ practice-squad depth chart comes after preseason action in which he missed two kicks in the team’s final preseason game. That performance is part of why the Jets’ decision carried immediate urgency. In practice-squad terms, it also suggests the organization still saw something worth retaining rather than letting him go completely.

Head coach Aaron Glenn addressed the decision at a press conference, stating that the Jets will continue to evaluate who will handle the kicking duties in Week 1. While the exact evaluation plan was not detailed in the report, the language points to an active process rather than a settled answer, with the team weighing execution in drills, consistency under pressure, and the ability to fit the operational rhythm on game days.

Roster management at kicker is rarely static this late in camp. With only one kicking role available on game day, teams often keep more than one option close so they can respond quickly to performance, weather, or other operational factors that can affect outcomes. Bringing Sanders back to the practice squad, rather than cutting him, keeps New York prepared if Grupe needs time to acclimate or if the Jets prefer to keep multiple kickers in the building for continued comparison.

For Sanders, the situation is also about visibility within the organization. Practice-squad re-signings are not guarantees, but they can report that the team still values a player’s overall skill set and coaching fit, even if a final audition has not landed him the primary job. For Grupe, the waiver claim places him directly on the Jets’ path, essentially giving the team the ability to evaluate him on short notice while maintaining a veteran presence behind the scenes.

What to watch next is whether the Jets’ internal evaluation results in a clear separation between the two kickers as Week 1 approaches. The more consistent the team’s kicking execution looks in recent practices, and the fewer late misses appear in session after session, the more likely the Jets move from “evaluation” to a definitive assignment.