Jets claim 2025 draft pick off waivers from Vikings

The winless New York Jets have claimed LB Kobe King off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings. King starred at Penn State and was taken in the 6th round of the 2025 NFL Draft. During his five-game stint with the Vikings, the rookie mostly appeared on special teams, where he played 77 snaps. In his college career with the Nittany Lions, King had 200 tackles, 18.5 TFLs, and 4.5 sacks.

Under first-time head coach Aaron Glenn, New York has gotten out to an 0-7 start and is the only team in the NFL without a win. The miserable start for the Jets has Glenn under fire and already coaching for his job. The Jets’ defense was once a promising unit filled with potential stars, but CB Sauce Gardner has underwhelmed and is out for their Week 8 matchup on the road against the 3-4 Bengals.

As the former defensive coordinator for the Lions, Glenn was expected to provide a spark for a group that was regressing. Instead, New York is in the middle of the pack in total defense, and their 26.1 points per game allowed is 26th in the league.

New York is also dealing with injury uncertainty on offense, as WR Garrett Wilson and TE Mason Taylor missed practice in the lead-up to their game in Cincinnati. In addition, their QB situation is a mess with the Justin Fields experiment already in trouble. Moreover, backup Tyrod Taylor is dealing with an injury concern.

Fields was benched in the 3rd quarter of last week’s 13-6 loss to the Panthers after he threw for 46 yards. Taylor wasn’t much better as he finished with two costly interceptions down the stretch of a one-score game. For as disappointing as the Jets’ defense has been, their offense has been even worse. The group is putting up 271 yards per game, fourth worst in the league, and has scored only 17 points in their last two games.

The Jets’ playoff drought is 14 years, tied for the longest among the four major North American professional leagues. That extended stretch of futility looks unlikely to end anytime soon.