The New York Jets took advantage of having the No. 2 spot in the NFL waiver wire priority to address one of their biggest concerns heading into Week 1.
The Jets claimed kicker Blake Grupe off waivers. He's been named the starting placekicker for the opening game.
Veteran kicker Jason Sanders was part of the Jets' final cuts. Sanders quickly re-signed back to the practice squad, so he'll continue working on his offseason struggles behind the scenes.
The Jets cycled through various failed kicking experiments this offseason, including Younghoe Koo, Will Ferrin, Cade York, and Lenny Krieg.
Grupe has not been a very reliable kicker throughout his NFL career, which is why he was available in late August.
In 45 appearances over the previous three campaigns
with the New Orleans Saints, Grupe converted 75 of 94 attempts (79.8%). Perhaps he's turning a corner, though. With the Indianapolis Colts in 2025, the former Notre Dame kicker went 11-for-11.
It's worth noting Grupe was a little shaky during the preseason, going 2-for-4, missing one from 30-39 yards, and another from 50+. The Jets totally mismanaged the kicker position after letting Nick Folk leave this offseason. We'll see if Grupe can rescue Darren Mougey from this kicking mess.
Jets Wire will continue to provide updates throughout the 2026 NFL season.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Will Blake Grupe solve the New York Jets' kicking woes?
