Kene Nwangwu gives Jets immediate boost; where was he all season?

As soon as Xavier Gipson heard that the Jets were calling up Kene Nwangwu from the practice squad for the first time last week, he knew something big was going to happen.

“I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is gonna be good,’ ” Gipson told Newsday.

Nwangwu did not disappoint.

On the first kick he fielded in his Jets debut, he returned it 99 yards for a touchdown against Seattle.

It was Nwangwu’s fourth kick-return touchdown in his four-year career. The only active player with more is Cordarelle Patterson.

“Every time I catch a kickoff return, I think I’m going to score,” Nwangwu said. “We had perfect blocks. My job is to bring it home. My mentality, I always feel like I’m going to score.”

Gipson was the other returner on that play, positioned on the left side. Nwangwu was on the right. He caught it at the 1, cut to the middle, broke a couple of tackles and raced down the left sideline.

Marcellino McCray-Ball delivered a huge block on kicker Jason Myers. Ashtyn Davis and Tony Adams kept Seahawks players from tackling Nwangwu from behind. Gipson delivered a block early, fell to one knee, got back up and raised his arms as he ran down the field behind Nwangwu.

“I knew he was gone,” said Gipson, a second-year receiver. “It was an amazing feeling because of the work he put in. He don’t complain. It’s the type of guy he is, the character he has. That’s somebody I hang with every day.”

When Nwangwu reached the end zone after his electric return, everyone celebrated. Aaron Rodgers jumped into special teams coordinator Brant Boyer on the sideline. Players jumped on Nwangwu and pounded his chest and slapped his helmet — Gipson more than anyone.

Nwangwu, 26, has earned praise and respect from teammates and coaches for how he’s carried himself this season.

He was second-team All-Pro as a kick returner just two years ago with Minnesota and spent this season on the Jets’ practice squad fighting every day to show he deserved to play.

“I attacked every day like I was playing,” Nwangwu said. “For me, it’s just going out there making plays, just believing in yourself, knowing that you are the player that you think you are.”

Practices were game days for Nwangwu. He always believed his time would come. His approach and drive never changed. The way he worked and grinded has become the stuff of legend in the Jets’ facility.

Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich had been spotlighting Nwangwu in team meetings for that and rewarded him last Saturday with his first elevation. The Jets signed him to the active roster Monday.

“The practice habits were as good as I’ve seen,” Ulbrich said. “For that to be a guy who’s never playing on Sundays . . . not even stepping on the field, the practice would have never told you that. The practice would have said that guy is a starter.”

A fourth-round pick in 2021, Nwangwu returned two kicks for touchdowns as a rookie, going 98 and 99 yards. The next year, he had a 97-yard kickoff return and made All-Pro. Injuries limited him in 2023.

The Vikings cut Nwangwu this past summer, and the Saints signed him but cut him the next day because of a failed physical. The Jets signed Nwangwu to the practice squad in September, and he made a strong statement after being called up for the first time.

“It means whatever I was doing was right,” Nwangwu said.

Nwangwu’s final stat line: three returns for 157 yards, a forced fumble that the Jets recovered and a tackle. He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

“What a powerful message to the team,” Ulbrich said. “You just keep grinding, you keep working, you’re selfless in all that you do, and you will get rewarded.”

Boyer said players of all ages can learn from Nwangwu’s example.

“The guy did nothing but keep his head down and keep working,” Boyer said. “Good things happen to people like that. He wasn’t over there sulking about his lack of play time. He wasn’t sulking about not being on the active roster. He was working his butt off.”

It also begs the question: Why wasn’t Nwangwu playing sooner?

The Jets say it’s been a numbers game, making sure they have the right amount of players at every position. Gipson and rookie running back Isaiah Davis have handled kick returns.

Teams generally don’t have four running backs active on game day. Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and Davis are ahead of Nwangwu. Because Hall (knee) won't play Sunday, Nwangwu will be up, but Ulbrich said he earned the right to be active against Miami and going forward.

“I think he’s definitely — I don’t think, I know — he’s demonstrated what it takes to play every single Sunday,” Ulbrich said. “Every chance he can, he needs to be up and he will be up.”

Nwangwu continues to do extra. He stays after practice, helping linebacker Quincy Williams prepare to face speedy, shifty running backs. He gives Gipson pointers on what to look for and how things can open up on returns.

That’s why Gipson was confident that Nwangwu would break one when he got his chance.

“Most def,” Gipson said. “You got to see the way he handles himself and what he does with the ball in his hand. What he does in practice is what he did in the game.”

Notes & quotes: Wide receiver Allen Lazard and offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer were activated from injured reserve and C.J. Mosley (neck) was placed on IR. The Jets also elevated cornerback Kendall Sheffield from the practice squad and released offensive lineman Connor McGovern.

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.