The Jets have signed veteran free agent defensive lineman Courtney Upshaw and have waived defensive lineman Chris Jones.
Upshaw (6'2", 272), the seventh-year pro, was invited to participate in the Jets' mandatory minicamp that concluded today as a tryout player.
He entered the NFL as Baltimore's second-round pick, 35th overall, in the 2012 NFL Draft, and played all 70 games, including playoffs, as a Ravens linebacker from 2012-15. He then signed with Atlanta as an unrestricted free agent in March 2016 and played the past two seasons on the Falcons D-line.
He played in two Super Bowls — XLVII, in which the Ravens defeated the 49ers and he forced a fumble that started a touchdown drive, and LI, in which the Falcons lost to the Patriots in OT and he notched a sack.
For his career, Upshaw has played in 90 regular-season games (56 starts) with 7.0 sacks, five forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, and 215 tackles.
Jones signed with the Jets as a sixth-year veteran free agent on June 5. He was drafted by Houston in the sixth round in 2013 and spent time on the rosters of the Buccaneers, Patriots, Dolphins and 49ers. He saw most of his action (28 games, 22 starts) as a DE, DT and special teamer with New England in 2013-14.
