The New York Jets added running back Austin Walter on Thursday, while waiving another, Pete Guerriero, in the process.
Walter, 24, spent most of 2020 on the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad and the rebooted XFL. He entered the professional ranks undrafted out of Rice the year before and currently sits eighth in Owls history in yards from scrimmage (2,547).
The 49ers originally had him in their 2019 training camp mix and he was later signed by the New York Giants after injuries took out Saquon Barkley and Wayne Gallman, playing a single snap with Big Blue.
The Crosby, Texas native was later chosen in the XFL’s supplemental draft by the Dallas Renegades, where he earned three first downs on five carries before the league shut down in the wake of the ongoing health crisis.
In an ironic New York connection, Walter scored on a kickoff against the metropolitan area’s XFL squad in the final for both sides. Walter took a kickoff back 97 yards for a score in the Renegades’ 30-12 defeat to the Guardians.
He joined the 49ers’ practice squad in late September and partook in four games. The second, coming in November against New Orleans, saw him earn his first NFL reception, a 27-yard gain in a 27-13 defeat. Walter also served as a kick returner, averaging over 18 yards on five runbacks.
With Walter’s arrival, the Jets released Guerriero, who has been on and off their roster over the last two seasons. The Monmouth alum was Football Championship Subddivision’s leading rusher in 2019 and has signed a reserve/future deal in January.
Walter joins a running back room that also added Tevin Coleman through free agency and North Carolina’s Michael Carter through the draft. Incumbent rushers La’Mical Perine, Ty Johnson, and Josh Adams are all set to return.
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