Kicker Apparently Good to Go as Jets Elevate Fullback and Defensive Tackle to Face Browns

Austin Seibert will not be active on Thursday night as New York calls up Nick Bawden and Bruce Hector

The New York Jets' two Practice Squad gameday elevations suggest that kicker Greg Zuerlein will be able to suit up against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.

The Jets did not elevate emergency kicker Austin Siebert, going with fullback Nick Bawden and defensive tackle Bruce Hector instead. With Zuerlein nursing a right quad injury, the team re-added Seibert to the P-Squad on Wednesday as insurance.

After playing the season's first 14 games as a member of New York's 53-man roster, Bawden was released to allow for the activation of rehabbing quarterback Aaron Rodgers from Injured Reserve. The Jets subsequently signed the veteran fullback to a P-Squad deal. He was elevated for the Week 16 game against Washington but landed amongst the inactives.

Hector initially joined the Jets on August 8 after spending the spring season in the XFL. The defensive tackle logged 3.0 preseason sacks but did not survive roster cutdown day. The 29-year-old Hector has since bounced back and forth between the Jets and the Houston Texans' Practice Squads. New York re-added Hector on December 4. He has not appeared in an NFL regular season game since 2021 with Detroit.

The Jets (6-9) visit the Browns (10-5) for an 8:15 pm ET kickoff on December 28. Cleveland sits as a 7.5-point home favorite over the Jets. The Browns boast the NFL's top-ranked defense, allowing league lows in yards per game (260.3) and yards per play (4.46).

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