A few weeks ago, Marcelino McCrary-Ball looked like a player fighting for his NFL future. Now, he looks like someone who has played his way onto the New York Jets' 53-man roster with some room to spare.
The veteran linebacker continued recent strong preseason play Friday against the New York Giants, turning in one of the most productive performances of any Jets defender.
McCrary-Ball finished the game with nine tackles, three solo stops, an interception, a forced fumble, and another pass breakup. On the Giants' opening possession, he intercepted a deflected pass that helped set up New York's only touchdown of the game. Later, he punched the ball free from Braxton Berrios near the goal line, helping preserve another defensive takeaway.
Following
the game, McCrary-Ball joined SNY to discuss his performance and the team's effort.
Marcelino McCrary-Ball catches up with @ChelseaSherrod after his big game tonight against the Giants pic.twitter.com/TdmkMwu6RX
— SNY Jets (@snyjets) August 29, 2026
The strong showing was hardly an isolated incident. Across three preseason games, McCrary-Ball totaled 17 tackles, nine solo stops, a tackle for loss, an interception, a forced fumble, and multiple impacted plays. More importantly, he consistently appeared around the football.
His head coach has certainly noticed. During his postgame press conference, Aaron Glenn highlighted McCrary-Ballwhile discussing the defense's performance and offered perhaps the highest compliment a coach can give a role player.
"Hats off to him for just doing what he's always done," Glenn said.
That statement speaks volumes. McCrary-Ball entered camp as a fringe roster candidate battling for a depth role. Over the past month, he steadily outplayed much of the competition while establishing himself as one of the Jets' core special teams contributors.
Glenn later identified him as one of the team's special teams leaders, another sign of the trust he has earned. Nothing is official until final cuts arrive, but McCrary-Ball appears to have done everything possible to secure his spot. If there was a roster battle at linebacker earlier this summer, he may have already won it.
Jets Wire will continue to provide updates throughout the 2026 NFL season.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Marcelino McCrary-Ball did 'what he always does' says Jets' Aaron Glenn
