The Jets claimed DB Zane Lewis on waivers from Arizona, the team announced Monday.
Lewis signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent out of the Air Force Academy back in May.
Now, Lewis comes to New York already having some familiarity with the coaching staff. He’ll reunite with his former position coach, Chip Vaughn, who is now Gang Green’s assistant defensive backs coach. Vaughn spent two seasons as the Falcons’ secondary coach before accepting a position on Gregg Williams’ defensive coaching staff this past offseason.
At Air Force, Lewis played in 37 games across four seasons. During his senior campaign, Lewis recorded 45 tackles and one interception playing in all 13 games. In addition, Lewis tied for fourth in the nation with 15 passes defended in 2019 and he allowed only 5.0 yards per target in coverage, which ranked in the 93rd percentile among qualified cornerbacks, according to Michael Nania.
Lewis brings a dimension of speed to Gang Green’s secondary, which is evident in his 4.45 40-yard dash time and two career 99-yard interception returns for touchdowns.
New York has yet to announce a corresponding move and with the season just a little under two weeks away, Lewis figures to be a potential practice squad addition.