In dire need of depth at the wide receiver position due to an injured Ardarius Stewart and a suspended Jeremy Kerley, the Jets have elevated receiver/return man JoJo Natson from their practice squad to the 53-man roster ahead of their Sunday afternoon meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A diminutive player at just 5′ 7”, Natson was added to the Jets practice squad after being let go by the Indianapolis Colts where he impressed in the pre-season, leading the Colts with 13 receptions. The Akron product looked to be a lock to make the Colts’ roster before fumbling three times in one game to end the pre-season.
Natson is a shifty receiver with elite speed, having been clocked in the mid 4.4’s. Natson says he can run a 4.38, a difficult claim to refute when you see him on film. With the Jets, Natson will likely serve as a return man, but don’t rule him out as a possible playmaker on offense in John Morton’s west coast scheme. Some expected Jalin Marshall to get the nod, but Natson makes sense at this point.
As a return man at Utah State and Akron, Natson returned five punts for touchdowns in three seasons in that role with a 12.6 yards per return average. To make room for Natson, the Jets waived injured defensive lineman Ed Stinson and added cornerback Michael Hunter to the practice squad to take Natson’s place.