The Jets waived wide receiver Cam Camper on Sunday as part of the reduction to the initial roster. He was waived outright rather than waived-injured, which matters for what comes next: he was exposed to every other club, and the picture should resolve by the end of Monday.
Status as of 1:15 p.m. ET on Monday, 31 August. The waiver claim window has just closed and practice squads are not due to the league until 6 p.m. ET, so Camper’s destination is not yet public. This page will be updated once it is.
What happened to Cam Camper?
He was waived on 30 August, four weeks after signing, having been injured in the preseason finale.
Camper joined the Jets on 31 July, in a move that also saw receiver Gee Scott waived-injured. He lasted a month. In Friday night’s 23–6 loss to the Giants he was one of six Jets to pick up an injury, in his case to the head and neck area. Two days later the club listed him among the 25 players it waived on the way to its initial roster.
The route that got him here was unusual. A 24-year-old from Willingboro, New Jersey, listed at 6-3 and 198 pounds, Camper started at Trinity Valley Community College in Texas, spent three seasons at Indiana — where he was a teammate of current Jets rookie Omar Cooper Jr. in 2022 and 2023 — then transferred to Boise State for 2024. He signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent in 2025, and spent the 2026 UFL season with the Orlando Storm, where he produced 366 receiving yards and three touchdowns including a 74-yard catch-and-run.
Why does “waived” rather than “waived-injured” matter?
Because it suggests the club did not regard his injury as disabling — and it changes where he can go.
These are two different transactions and the Jets used both on Sunday. A player who is waived-injured, as running back Dominic Richardson was, is one his club believes cannot pass a physical; if he goes unclaimed he reverts to that same club, which can then place him on injured reserve or reach an injury settlement. A player who is waived outright, as Camper was, is simply released onto the wire for any team to claim.
The choice is a signal. Waiving Camper outright, days after a head and neck injury, indicates the Jets expected him to be able to pass a physical. It also means he is not tethered to New York the way Richardson is. Our guide to the NFL waiver wire covers the mechanics in full.
What are the possible outcomes from here?
Three, and only one of them was still open after 1 p.m. ET on Monday.
Scenario 1: another club claims him
Any team could submit a claim during the window that opened after Sunday’s deadline and closed at 1 p.m. ET on Monday. A successful claimant assumes his contract and he goes directly onto that team’s active roster — not their practice squad. Competing claims are settled in waiver priority order, which at this point in the calendar is based on last season’s standings rather than the current ones. If this is what happened, Camper is already someone else’s player and there is nothing further for the Jets to decide.
Scenario 2: he clears and returns to the Jets practice squad
If no club claimed him, he became a free agent at 1 p.m. ET and can sign anywhere — including back in New York. This is the most common outcome for a young receiver a club likes but cannot fit onto 53, and the Jets have an obvious incentive: they know him, he has been in the building a month, and the receiver room absorbed a run of injuries through camp. The constraint is his health, since he still has to be signable.
Scenario 3: he clears and signs elsewhere, or waits
Clearing waivers makes him available to all 32 clubs on equal footing, and practice squad spots across the league are being filled on the same Monday timetable. A receiver who has just been hurt may also go unsigned for a period and revisit his options once he is fully cleared medically — there is no rule requiring him to land anywhere by a particular date once he is a free agent.
What are the deadlines?
The decisive ones are all compressed into Sunday evening and Monday.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Sun 30 Aug, 6:00 p.m. ET | League-wide deadline to cut to 53. Camper is among 25 players waived. |
| Sun 30 Aug, from 6:00 p.m. ET | Waiver claim window opens; clubs may submit claims on any waived player. |
| Mon 31 Aug, 1:00 p.m. ET | Claim window closes. Unclaimed players become free agents. |
| Mon 31 Aug, from 1:00 p.m. ET | Clubs may begin signing players to practice squads. |
| Mon 31 Aug, 6:00 p.m. ET | Practice squads must be reported to the league. |
| Tue 28 Sep (Week 4) | Waiver priority switches from last season’s order to the current standings. |
If he lands on a practice squad, what are the rules?
Sixteen players, with eligibility tiers, weekly protections and a cap on gameday call-ups.
- A practice squad holds 16 players, plus an international pathway player who does not count against that limit.
- Ten of the 16 must have no more than two accrued seasons. The other six carry no experience restriction. Camper has one accrued season, so he fits the larger group comfortably.
- Clubs may elevate two practice squad players to the active roster on gameday. Each reverts afterwards, and a given player can be elevated this way up to three times.
- Clubs protect four players each week. A practice squad player cannot sign to another club’s practice squad, but he can sign to another club’s active roster at any time unless he is protected that week.
Read more in our guide to the NFL practice squad, and the club’s moves are tracked on the Jets transactions page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Cam Camper waived or released by the Jets?
He was waived. The Jets listed him among 25 players waived on 30 August 2026 as they reduced to their initial roster. Waiving applies to players with fewer than four accrued seasons; releasing applies to established veterans.
What is the difference between waived and waived-injured?
A waived-injured player is one his club believes cannot pass a physical; if unclaimed, he reverts to that club for injured reserve or an injury settlement. A player waived outright, like Camper, is available to any club and becomes a free agent if unclaimed.
When did the waiver claim period close?
1 p.m. ET on Monday, 31 August 2026. The window had opened after the 6 p.m. ET cutdown deadline the previous evening.
Can Cam Camper re-sign with the Jets?
Yes, if he cleared waivers. An unclaimed player becomes a free agent and may sign with any club, including the one that waived him, commonly on a practice squad deal.
How many players can an NFL practice squad hold?
Sixteen, plus an international pathway player who does not count against the limit. Ten of the 16 must have no more than two accrued seasons.
Why did the Jets sign Cam Camper in the first place?
They signed him on 31 July 2026, waiving-injured receiver Gee Scott in the same move, as the receiver group worked through a run of injuries during training camp.