The Jets made a move to bolster their tight end unit for the future on Saturday, claiming Ross Travis off waivers from the Colts.
Travis did not make the trip to Buffalo for New York’s season-finale is out for Sunday afternoon’s game. However, considering the timing of the claim, he figures to factor into Gang Green’s offseason plans to some extent.
We’ve claimed TE Ross Travis and placed OL Alex Lewis on IR.
Travis is not on the trip and is out for #NYJvsBUF.
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 28, 2019
New York has a need at tight end with both Ryan Griffin (ankle) and Chris Herndon (hamstring/ribs) on injured reserve. Travis brings depth to a tight end room that includes both Daniel Brown and Trevon Wesco and could potentially be someone who sticks in 2020 and beyond.
In three games played with Indianapolis in 2019, Travis caught four passes for 51 yards. He played in four games for the Colts in 2017 and spent the entire 2018 season on injured reserve.
Before his stop in Indianapolis, Travis was with the Kansas City Chiefs. Between his time with the Chiefs and Colts, Travis has played in 24 career games (seven starts) and has 14 receptions for 142 yards.
Travis did not play football in college, but he played college basketball at Penn State University. Having not played football since he was a freshman in high school, Travis signed with the Chiefs practice squad as an undrafted free agent upon graduation.
As a corresponding move for Saturday’s waiver transaction, the Jets placed starting left guard Alex Lewis on season-ending injured reserve.
Lewis (ankle) was ruled out for the Jets’ season finale against the Bills and placed on IR with New York needing the roster spot. He picked up an ankle injury in the Jets 16-10 win over Pittsburgh in Week 16.
As a result, Lewis season will end prematurely. Backup Brent Qvale is expected to slide into his spot on the left side with Conor McDermott starting for the injured Tom Compton at right guard for the second consecutive week.
The Jets acquired Lewis from the Baltimore Ravens for a conditional seventh-round pick in this year’s draft. He started 12 games for New York in 2019 after Kelechi Osemele sustained a season-ending injury.