Jaguars Expected To Make Major Offseason Changes
It has been speculated for some time that the Jaguars may undergo a major organizational overhaul this offseason, and sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that the club is indeed expected to make significant changes in the new year.
Many around the league expect head coach Doug Marrone to be fired, per Schefter. Others believe that executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin could step aside to spend more time with family.
Schefter’s report did not offer any concrete rumors as to GM Dave Caldwell, but recent reports have suggested that he may be on the chopping block as well. Of course, owner Shad Khan considered a shakeup after the 2018 season, but he opted to remain patient. However, his patience has not been rewarded, and the Jags have sputtered to a 4-9 record in 2019.
This same power structure guided Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game in 2017, and the team was one quarter away from upsetting the Patriots in that contest and advancing to the Super Bowl. The Jags looked like a team on the rise, but they have regressed in a big way and now look like they could be headed for yet another rebuild.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/13/19
Today’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: WR Juwann Winfree
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed: CB Tae Hayes (from Jaguars)
- Placed on IR: DT Gerald Willis
Jaguars Promote WR C.J. Board
Board is back! The Jaguars announced today that they’ve promoted wideout C.J. Board from the practice squad. The team waived cornerback Tae Hayes to make room on the roster.
Board went undrafted out of Chattanooga back in 2017, and he’s bounced around the NFL since then, spending time with the Ravens, Titans, and Browns. He made his NFL debut earlier this season with the Jaguars, and he’s hauled in a single 23-yard catch in two games. He was on Jacksonville’s active roster for the first 12 weeks of the campaign.
The Jaguars may be in need of some receiver depth this weekend against the Raiders. DJ Chark is battling through an ankle injury, forcing him to miss practice all week. The receiver is considered doubtful for Sunday. Meanwhile, Dede Westbrook was limited at Wednesday’s practice thanks to a shoulder injury. If those two miss Sunday’s contest, that’d leave the Jaguars with only four healthy wideouts in Board, Chris Conley, Keelan Cole, and Michael Walker.
Hayes had a single appearance back in Week 9 vs. the Texans. The Appalachian State product had 11 tackles, four passes defended, and an interception during the preseason.
Jags’ Scott Milanovich To Return To CFL
Scott Milanovich will return to the Canadian Football League. The former CFL head coach has served as the Jaguars’ quarterbacks coach for three seasons, but he will become the Edmonton Eskimos’ HC after this season, according to the CFL franchise.
The first-time NFL coach, however, will stay on in his current role until season’s end. The Jaguars hired Milanovich after a five-season stint as the Toronto Argonauts’ HC.
The prospect of a Black Monday ouster certainly is in play for Doug Marrone, so his staff is not assured of a return to north Florida. Milanovich, 46, has also worked with CFL franchises Montreal and Calgary. The Jags promoted Milanovich to their offensive coordinator post late last season, after firing Nathaniel Hackett, but he returned to the QBs job after the team hired John DeFilippo this offseason.
A Grey Cup champion with Toronto in 2012, Milanovich oversaw the work of Blake Bortles, Nick Foles and, perhaps most notably, the development of sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew the past three seasons. But with the Jags likely set to fire Marrone, their young quarterback will likely be tasked with learning a new system next season.
Jaguars Claim LB Preston Brown
Rookie linebacker Quincy Williams will join Myles Jack on the Jaguars’ IR list. The team also claimed veteran linebacker Preston Brown off waivers from the Raiders. This will be Brown’s third team this season.
Both the Bengals and Raiders cut Brown in-season. The former Bills starter played just one game with Oakland but will now head to Florida to help out a reeling Jags linebacking corps. The Raiders cut Brown amid a Tuesday purge that included D.J. Swearinger and Terrell McClain. Brown has made 53 tackles this season, 52 of which coming with Cincinnati.
Jacksonville, which saw Telvin Smith step away from the game in the offseason, has lost Jack and Williams to season-ending injuries. The Jags also placed Najee Goode and Jake Ryan on IR, the latter returning to the team’s injured list after being activated from the PUP list last month.
A surprising third-round pick out of Murray State, Williams started eight games but battled a knee injury and was benched twice. He finished his rookie season with 47 tackles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/10/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Re-signed DL Caraun Reid
- Placed on IR: DL Rodney Gunter
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted from practice squad: OT Mitch Hyatt
- Placed on IR: WR Cedrick Wilson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Dakota Allen, C Tyler Gauthier
- Placed on IR: LB Jake Ryan
Miami Dolphins
- Signed off New England’s practice squad: DB Nate Brooks
- Signed off Tennessee’s practice squad: LB Jamal Davis
- Claimed off waivers from Packers: OT Adam Pankey
- Placed on IR: CBs Ryan Lewis and Ken Webster
- Waived: RB Zach Zenner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: WR Ishmael Hyman
Washington Redskins
- Suspended: CB Simeon Thomas (four games)
Interestingly Dallas’ hand was forced with Hyatt, as they promoted the offensive lineman because another team was trying to poach him away, a source told Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). He’s a rookie UDFA from Clemson. Elsewhere, the Dolphins are scooping up players from other teams left and right as they build for 2020.
2020 NFL Draft Order As Of Week 15
With 14 full weeks of the NFL season in the books, the 2020 draft order is beginning to take shape. Here’s the rundown of where things would stand if the 2019 season ended today:
1. Bengals: 1-12
2. Giants: 2-11
3. Redskins: 3-10
4. Dolphins: 3-10
5. Lions: 3-9-1
6. Cardinals: 3-9-1
7. Jaguars: 4-9
8. Falcons: 4-9
9. Jets: 5-8
10. Chargers: 5-8
11. Broncos 5-8
12. Panthers 5-8
13. Eagles 6-7
14. Raiders 6-7
15. Colts 6-7
16. Buccaneers 6-7
17. Browns 6-7
18. Raiders (via Bears) 6-7
19. Titans 8-5
20. Jaguars (via Rams) 8-5
21. Cowboys 6-7
22. Dolphins (via Steelers) 8-5
23. Dolphins (via Texans) 8-5
24. Vikings 9-4
25. Bills 9-4
26. Chiefs 9-4
27. Packers 10-3
28. Seahawks 10-3
29. Patriots 10-3
30. Saints 10-3
31. Ravens 11-2
32. 49ers 11-2
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/9/19
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: LB Devante Bond
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: OL Adam Pankey
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed off Patriots practice squad: Tyler Gauthier
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: DB Tevaughn Campbell
New York Jets
- Promoted: WR Jeff Smith
- Placed on IR: CB Kyron Brown
Injury Updates: Thielen, Moreau, Andrews, Guice, Chark
Here are the latest injury updates from around the league as you enjoy Sunday Night Football:
- Adam Thielen missed another game with his hamstring issue Sunday, but he should be back out there soon. “All parties are optimistic” that the Vikings will have their star receiver when they play a pivotal Week 15 game against the Chargers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Thielen has only played eight games this season, and in two of those he played only a handful of snaps.
- The Raiders have been pretty banged up recently, and they took another blow during their crucial loss to the Titans. Tight end Foster Moreau went down with a knee injury, and Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said after the game he could be done for the season. Moreau doesn’t play a huge role as a pass-catcher, but he has had a couple of big games and has been playing around half of the team’s offensive snaps.
- Ravens fans were left holding their breath when breakout tight end Mark Andrews left their victory over the Bills and didn’t return, but fortunately it doesn’t appear to be anything too serious. Andrews suffered a contusion between his knee and thigh a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, and the “indication is it’s nothing major” (Twitter link). That’s good news, but Baltimore does have a short week with a Thursday Night Football game against the Jets waiting. It wouldn’t be surprising if Andrews misses that one, but it doesn’t sound like it’ll be a longterm absence.
- Derrius Guice has had brutal injury luck so far in his young NFL career, so it was terrible to see the Redskins running back go down with another knee issue during their loss to the Packers. Fortunately it seems like he might’ve dodged a bullet, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that the initial diagnosis is an MCL sprain. It seems like Guice could miss some time and potentially the rest of the season, but fortunately it doesn’t appear to be anything long-term. Guice missed his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL that resulted in multiple infections, and then missed the first eight games of this season with a knee injury.
- The Jaguars have been getting embarrassed weekly recently, and now things are getting even worse. On the heels of their 45-10 blowout loss to the Chargers, it looks like they could be without top receiver D.J. Chark moving forward. Chark left the game with an ankle injury, and his “left foot was in a protective boot and he left the locker room using a scooter” after the game, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Chark has been having a breakout year and has 881 yards with eight touchdowns, and it now seems like his sophomore campaign could be over.
We’ll have more on all the other big injuries suffered today as soon as there are additional details to pass along.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/5/19
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers (Dolphins): OL Chris Reed
- Waived: OL Brad Lundblade
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Joe Giles-Harris
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers (Ravens): DT Zach Sieler
- Waived: T Isaiah Prince