ESPN

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The Jets waived linebacker Aaron Maybin on Tuesday to allow them to sign running back Kahlil Bell and give linebacker Ricky Sapp more opportunities, according to head coach Rex Ryan.

"I like Aaron," Ryan said. "I love the way he plays. He flies around, does a tremendous job on the practice field, everything. It's just numbers haven't been there this year for him."

Maybin revived his career in 2011, registering a team-high six sacks for the Jets after Buffalo released him. This year, he struggled to produce at that level -- he had four combined tackles and didn't record a sack in 119 defensive snaps. In the loss to the Seahawks, Maybin was a healthy scratch for the first time this year.

While the team waived Maybin, Ryan did not rule out a future return for the former first-rounder. Maybin's biggest moment of the season came when he said the defense would be targeting Miami running back Reggie Bush, only for him to be called out for a lack of playing time by Miami center Mike Pouncey.

In waiving Maybin, the team is giving Sapp a chance to showcase his talents. Sapp, a second-year linebacker out of Clemson, played in just his first game of the year Sunday after being on the practice squad for most of the year. He had one assisted tackle and played 13 defensive snaps.

"I'm just happy for the opportunity," Sapp said. "Definitely glad to be here. I'm so thankful that Rex and (GM) Mike (Tannenbaum) gave me this opportunity and chance and I'm just going to take it and run with it and try to help the team as much as possible."

Sapp said he doesn't believe there's any pressure on him knowing his play is part of the reason Maybin was waived. He said Maybin was one of the guys he looked up to, and he learned from him about how to approach games and how to bring intensity in practice.

Safety Yeremiah Bell was sad to see Maybin go but knows it's next man up.

"(Sapp's) going to have to come in and be that pass rusher everyone expects him to be," Bell said. "He does a great job in practice and Ricky is a guy once he gets some snaps on the field he'll do a great job. He's got an opportunity and I'm sure he's going to make the most of it."

The Jets signed Bell at a time when their running back situation is dicey. Two of their backs, Bilal Powell (concussion) and Joe McKnight (ankle), are dealing with injuries. McKnight, who missed last Sunday's game, did have a limited practice Wednesday, while Powell sat with the concussion he suffered vs. Seattle.

Bell, 25, played in two games this season for Chicago, rushing 12 times for 32 yards. He has 131 carries for 589 yards in his career, which had been exclusively with the Bears prior to this move.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- There was action before, during and after practice on Thursday here at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center.

Before practice, coach Rex Ryan revealed that Wayne Hunter has lost his starting job at right tackle in favor of Austin Howard.

After practice, Santonio Holmes declared himself fit to play Sunday night against the Carolina Panthers.

In between, the Jets worked out for 2½ hours Thursday afternoon in front of a few hundred fans as training camp winds to a close. They got to see Howard take all the reps with the first unit, and Holmes get a few live reps as well -- wearing a red no-contact jersey -- as he continues to recover from a rib injury.

In terms of other practice observations:

INJURY REPORT: RB Joe McKnight, who missed Wednesday's practice with shin splints, was back on the field, but limited. S LaRon Landry was also limited for precautionary reasons. ... TE Jeff Cumberland, WR Patrick Turner, WR Chaz Schilens, DT Sione Pouha, CB Ellis Lankster and LB Ricky Sapp did not practice.

GROUND AND POUND: The Jets worked extensively on their running game Thursday. Gang Green averaged just 1.8 yards per carry in Saturday night's preseason loss to the Giants, gaining 58 yards on 32 totes.

OPPOSITE SIDES: The first-team offense and first-team defense rarely matched up against each other Thursday. The Jets were likely preparing for Sunday night's game against the Panthers, having the first-stringers face scout teams.

THE HIGHLIGHT? Mark Sanchez completed a beautiful pass over the middle to Royce Pollard on one of the few plays when both the first-team offense and first-team defense matched up against each other, in 11-on-11 drills. Pollard went high to reel in the ball, in between safeties Yeremiah Bell and Josh Bush. Sanchez was fired up after the play.

On the day, Sanchez completed four of seven passes against the first-team defense. Tim Tebow went 2-for-3 against them, with a sack.

In 7-on-7 drills, LB David Harris dropped a gimme interception thrown by Tebow. But he made up for it with a nice pick on a pass thrown by Greg McElroy. Rookie LB Demario Davis also had an interception late in practice, in 11-on-11 drills.

THE KICKING GAME: Nick Folk nailed all three of his field goal attempts at the end of practice, including one from 53 yards away. Josh Brown also connected from 53 yards, but missed a shorter attempt.

REMEMBER ME? Former Jets offensive tackle Damien Woody, now an ESPN analyst, visited practice on Thursday, along with his two sons. Kind of ironic, considering this was the day the Jets made a switch at Woody's former position.

This is our seventh "Take Five" list. From now until training camp, we'll have periodic lists -- some serious, some not-so-serious. In this one, we list the top five candidates that could pull a Jeremy Lin in 2012 -- an out-of-nowhere player who jumps into the limelight and becomes a fan sensation.

1. TE Hayden Smith: The former international rugby star hasn't played a lick of organized football in his life -- he was born and raised in Australia -- but he has the size and physical tools to make a go of it. He struggled in minicamp, but he's upbeat and works hard. He'll be hard-pressed to make the 53, but if he does ... hey, you never know.

2. RB Terrance Ganaway: He'll enter camp as the fourth-string running back, but it's not like he has Chris Johnson or Adrian Peterson in front of him. The sixth-round pick rushed for nearly 1,600 yards last season at Baylor, so he obviously has some talent. At 240 pounds, he could start out as a short-yardage back and go from there.

3. QB Greg McElroy: It'll be hard to leap Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow on the depth chart, but, hey, stuff happens in the NFL. McElroy has no game experience, but there's something about him that grows on you. He's a poor man's Chad Pennington -- smart, tough and instinctive.

4. OLB Ricky Sapp: The hardcore fans know that Sapp was a prolific pass rusher in college (15 sacks in '09 at Clemson) and was projected as a top-50 pick. He slipped to the Eagles in the fifth round in '10, suffered a knee injury and ... well, here he is. Rex Ryan mentions Sapp whenever he discusses his outside linebackers, always a good sign. The Jets aren't overflowing with outside rushers, so he'll get a shot.

5. TE Josh Baker: He's had quite a football journey. He was thrown out of Delaware for off-the-field transgressions, ended up at a community college while moonlighting at an office-supply store and resurfaced at Northwest Missouri, where he caught the Jets' attention. He signed as an UDFA and caught three passes last season, including a touchdown. Baker, who can play fullback or tight end, will compete for playing time. He has the back story that makes him easy to root for.