Roster News: Jets confirm signings as rookie camp gets underway

The Jets' rookie mini-camp starts today, so we can confirm plenty of transactions.

First, there were a couple of moves yesterday:

Sources told JetsFix that Smith has a torn pec and will receive an injury settlement. It's possible that Hartwig, who missed all of last season as an undrafted rookie due to injury, is in a similar situation.

The Ekeji move is notable because it signifies the Jets are likely to want to keep him beyond this year, since designating him as the IPPP means they can carry him on the practice squad without him counting towards the limits.

It's also relevant that it was Ekeji who was designated rather than kicker Lenny Krieg who was eligible for the same treatment. Could that mean Krieg has a real shot at the roster, or just that they don't think he can realistically make the practice squad? His competition as of right now is the journeyman Cade York and undrafted rookie Will Ferrin (see below).

It was also long overdue for the Jets to confirm their undrafted rookie signings:

As of yesterday, three of the Jets' eight draft picks (Keynon Sadiq, Cade Klubnik and VJ Payne) had signed their rookie deals. Anez Cooper signed this morning.

Any unsigned draft pick is still eligible to participate in the rookie camp whether or not they have a deal in place.

Finally, it's always interesting to see if there are any intriguing players that were invited to try out. We know about most of the rookies, but the camp roster gives us the full picture and will let us know if any non-rookies are taking part or have been invited. Hopefully one of the beat writers will share this later.

We'll have more on the UDFAs signed in due course.