Jets Add Depth At Safety, Sign Veteran Gerald Alexander
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — The Jets have signed veteran safety Gerald Alexander, adding depth to the position two days after Jim Leonhard was lost for the season because of a knee injury.
Alexander, a former second-round pick of Detroit in 2007, was waived by Miami last month after spending last season with Carolina and Jacksonville. He was traded by the Lions to the Jaguars in 2009. The 27-year-old Alexander has 159 tackles, four interceptions and two sacks in parts of five NFL seasons.
Leonhard tore the patellar tendon in his right knee after making an interception Sunday in the Jets' 37-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
"It's obviously frustrating," Leonhard told WFAN's Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts on Tuesday. "Especially for the second year in a row."
The 29-year-old safety called the situation "eerily similar" to what he went through before the Jets-Patriots game last December. Leonhard missed the remainder of the 2010 season — and the playoffs — after a collision with teammate Patrick Turner during practice left him with a broken leg.
"You do realize how fast everything moves on once you do get injured," Leonhard said. "You just want to be a part of it and do whatever you can, especially when you feel like you're making a run again. You want to do whatever you can to help the guys out."
The Jets have also signed defensive back Mark Legree to the practice squad.
Will the Jets get production from Alexander? Sound off below...
(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
