Jets fans don’t have Vernon Gholston to kick around anymore.
As part of flurry of roster moves coming from Jets Atlantic Health Training Center this week, the team cut Gholston yesterday. A former first-round pick in 2008, Gholston spent three unproductive years with the Jets, vying for the title as the team’s biggest draft bust in history. Not even restructuring his contract last season to make $2 million in 2011 was enough to keep him around.
The third-year player, moved to defensive end after starting his pro career at linebacker, played 45 games for the Jets and tallied less than a tackle a game. The former Ohio State standout became a top 10 pick based off a strong combine showing in 2008, but his performance on the field never lived up to the metrics. He never registered a sack in his career and reportedly missed out on a $9 million incentive bonus last season after failing to record a sack or forced fumble.
Another Ohio State alum hit the wires yesterday as the Jets also cut tight end Ben Hartsock. Plagued with bad penalties throughout his career, Hartsock was primarily used as a blocking tight end but the Jets decided that the presence of Matt Mulligan and Jeff Cumberland on the roster made the veteran expendable. Hartsock never was a gaudy tight end, having played 88 games in the NFL and registering just 29 catches. He was set to make $1.6 million in 2011, money which the Jets can now use to keep their higher profile players under contract.
Cumberland is perhaps the most exciting option for the Jets to replace Hartsock. An undrafted free agent out of Illinois, he switched between tight end and wide receiver four times during his collegiate career. Blessed with good hands, Cumberland had just one catch last year during his rookie season though the Jets kept him on their active roster throughout the season.
Had Cumberland been relegated to the practice squad, another team could have attempted to sign him to a contract, something the Jets feared might happen. The fact that Cumberland was on the active roster for the entirety of the season but played just once, a Week 17 blowout of Buffalo, showed the value and potential the Jets saw in him.
