Jaguars Notes: RBs, Beachum, Joeckel
- While Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon are atop the Jaguars‘ running back depth chart, the club has several interesting players competing for time — or a roster spot — at the end of the backfield list, as Phillip Heilman of the Florida Times-Union writes. Denard Robinson, Joe Banyard, and Corey Grant are all vying for action at the end of the roster, and because Jacksonville doesn’t plan to carry a fullback, it’s possible all three could make the squad. But which of the trio is active on gamedays could come down to special teams, where Grant and Banyard excel. Robinson, on the other hand, played on only 20% of the Jaguars’ ST snaps a year ago.
- As they prepare to block for those running backs, the Jaguars‘ offensive line is still not set, as Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union details. Free agent signee Kelvin Beachum was supposed to be slotted in as the club’s left tackle, but he’s been slow to recover from a torn ACL and hasn’t taken many live reps. Former No. 2 overall pick Luke Joeckel, meanwhile, was scheduled to transition from left tackle to guard, but given Beachum’s condition, Joeckel hasn’t had much practice on the interior. Jacksonville’s coaching staff is still hopeful that the situation can be ironed before Week 1, however.
Jags Owner: Team Not Considering Greg Hardy
The Jaguars are the only team to have worked out Greg Hardy so far this offseason. But don’t put money on the Jaguars signing him. In an interview this week, owner Shad Khan indicated that the team has not given serious thought to signing the defensive end. 
“Well, I mean, to me, there are a lot of issues,” Khan told Hays Carlyon of The Florida Times-Union. “You have to understand them all and the only way is to experience them first-hand. What the upside/downside might be – I think we’re not even close to a decision like that.”
[RELATED: Has The CFL Blacklisted Greg Hardy?]
Khan’s words jibe with earlier reports which indicated that the Jaguars only worked Hardy out with the intention of keeping him on a list of players to call in the event of an injury. The owner confirmed that he met with Hardy personally, but would not divulge his own personal evaluation of him.
“I’ve met with dozens of players,” Khan said. “As a matter of fact, I’m meeting with players today. I just started doing this a year-and-a-half ago, because I want to get to understand them as human beings and what we can do to support them going forward.”
From a football perspective, adding Hardy would give the Jaguars a serious weapon in support of starters Dante Fowler Jr. and Jared Odrick. Of course, signing Hardy also means potentially dealing with his bad attitude, tardiness to practice, and boycotts from fans who do not want to see him on the field.
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Eagles Still Seeking Wide Receivers
Even after acquiring Dorial Green-Beckham from the Titans, the Eagles aren’t done looking for wide receivers. The Eagles put in a claim for wide receiver Rasheed Bailey when he was exposed to waivers by the Jaguars, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, the Chargers had higher priority than the Eagles and landed him first. 
[RELATED: Reaction To Dorial Green-Beckham Trade]
The Eagles are familiar with Bailey after he spent the 2015 preseason with them. The undrafted Delaware Valley product did not manage to crack the 53-man roster, but he apparently made a good impression on Philly coaches.
The move to claim Bailey indicates that the Eagles could pursue other wide receivers on the open market or via trade. Of course, there will be tons of wide receivers released between now and the first week of September, giving the Eagles plenty of opportunity to add a WR without giving up any assets.
The Eagles currently have Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Josh Huff, Green-Beckham, Paul Turner, and Rueben Randle at wide receiver, as shown on Roster Resource. Behind them, receivers like Chris Givens, T.J. Graham, and Hunter Sharp are jockeying for roster spots.
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Jags Sign Jacques McClendon, Waive Rasheed Bailey
- The Jaguars signed guard/center Jacques McClendon and waived wide receiver Rasheed Bailey, as Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com tweets. McClendon was with the Jaguars in 2013-14.
Jaguars Waive Jonas Gray, Claim T.J. Barnes
The Jaguars have waived-injured running back Jonas Gray and claimed defensive tackle T.J. Barnes off waivers from the Bills, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union was among those to report (Twitter link).
Gray has been dealing with a quad issue since Aug. 4, tweets O’Halloran. The Jags signed the 26-year-old off the Dolphins’ practice squad last December, and he went on to appear in two of Jacksonville’s games and log 14 carries for 54 yards. Prior to that, the former Notre Dame back amassed 31 rushes for 122 yards in six games with Miami.
Gray is most known for his brief tenure in New England, which featured a 201-yard, four-touchdown rushing performance against the Colts in November 2014. That showing represented a significant portion of Gray’s production as a rookie. All told, he amassed 89 carries (37 in the Indy game) for 412 yards and five scores in eight contests. With a mere 10 carries in the Pats’ final four games, including their run to a Super Bowl title, Gray fizzled out down the stretch and ended up receiving his release.
This will be the second stint in Jacksonville for Barnes, who signed with the club as an undrafted free agent agent from Georgia Tech in 2013. His time with the Jags lasted just four months, however, as they cut him in the preseason. Barnes spent the past three seasons as a member of the Jets and Bills, with whom he combined for 16 appearances (one start) and eight tackles.
Latest On Will Beatty
Although a report last night indicated that the Jaguars had offered free agent tackle Will Beatty a contract after working him out, a source tells Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union that the no signing is imminent “at this time.” Those two reports don’t necessarily contradict each other, as Jacksonville may have proposed a contract that Beatty is still mulling over. Indeed, Beatty is apparently in no rush to a sign a deal, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, who also hears that the Jags did make an offer.
[RELATED: Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell on rookie class, receiver depth]
“[Beatty] did a nice job,” said head coach Gus Bradley, who added that a signing was not on the club’s immediate radar. “For us, I’m sure there is a lot of speculation with what’s going on, but we have two [offensive tackles] out and we’re always going to compete and always bring guys in and just keep our options option. If something comes up later on in training camp or after the preseason, we just want to make sure we have our options open so it was more of a workout.”
Kelvin Beachum, who is projected to start at left tackle for the Jaguars, hasn’t practiced since August 2 as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in 2015. But Bradley says the Beatty workout wasn’t a sign that Jacksonville is worried about Beachum’s health. “Beachum had another good day today; he’s gone through two days of individual [work],” Bradley said. “In my quick conversations, they thought he did well again. I can tell from his spirit, he feels progress is being made. Now, hopefully it’s rapid.”
The Eagles were the other team reported to have interest in Beatty, but Philadelphia merely contacted the veteran tackle to see how his recovery from a torn pectoral was going, as well as to gather intel on his plans going forward, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Eagles are bracing for the loss of right tackle Lane Johnson, who is facing a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy, and head coach Doug Pederson didn’t sound overly enthused about Dennis Kelly or Matt Tobin, Philadelphia’s incumbent backup plans.
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Jags GM Dave Caldwell On Rookies, LTs, WRs
Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell met with Alex Marvez and Mark Dominik of SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday, and the interview produced some interesting tidbits. Here’s some of what Caldwell had to say (via Hays Carlyon of The Florida Times-Union):
On the front office’s thought process when it came to selecting Jalen Ramsey:
“I don’t think there was a lot of [debate], it was pretty unanimous. Jalen, we wanted to come out with an impact defensive player in the top five. This was the year we wanted to start focusing on crafting this defense and building it from the ground up. He’s a rare athlete. You see him on the field being as big as he is, how he moves and how explosive he is. You don’t find guys like that that come along every year. Once every couple years, you get a player of that ability.”
On what compelled the team to take a risk on Myles Jack in the second round:
“We said, let’s take a guy that we know a lot about who is excellent talent. We have to take some risk. We have to close that talent gap and we won’t do it by being very conservative. Let’s take a risk on a guy that we know is a great worker, very diligent and he’s going to take care of his body. Doctors are wrong too, just like scouts. It’s a matter of opinion. The risk was worth the reward at that point in time.”
On how third-rounder Yannick Ngakoue will fit in:
“He and [Dante Fowler, Jr.] will split time at that Leo position. In nickel, they’ll both play the ends. Both are athletic enough with their versatility they can drop into coverage and take tight ends man to man. You need more than one pass rusher. We don’t have a lot of experience here, but we feel like we have a pretty good skill set in those young guys.”
On the left tackle battle between Luke Joeckel and Kelvin Beachum:
“Luke’s probably had his best camp since we’ve been here. I think it’s maturity in his growth and physical maturity. So, it’s going to be a good battle over these next couple of weeks to see where that ends up. I expect [Joeckel] to play some left guard in the preseason. When we get Kelvin back, he did individual today, we’ll slowly bring him along.”
On the wide receiver depth chart:
“Our three spots are a little in flux, because there is no true three. If we go slot, we have Rashad Greene and Bryan Walters that are really good slot receivers. Marqise Lee can take the top off but he’s outside so then you bring one of [Allen Robinson or Allen Hurns] inside. All from our three-to-five spots, I think those guys are going to play quite a bit. Rashad is a dynamic punt returner, so that will be his focus and Bryan Walters does a really nice job on special teams too.”
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Jaguars, Eagles Interested In Will Beatty
The market for free agent offensive tackle Will Beatty has apparently intensified, as the former Giants lineman worked out for the Jaguars yesterday and now has an offer in hand from the club, according to Tom Rock of Newsday (Twitter links). The Eagles have also reached out to express interest in Beatty as they wait for a decision in the Lane Johnson suspension saga, per Rock.
[RELATED: Jaguars want to trade from TE/DL depth]
According to Football Outsiders‘ metrics, Jacksonville’s offensive line was below-average in 2016, as they ranked 16th in run-blocking and 25th in the pass game, but the club has already added one intriguing free agent option this year, agreeing to terms with former Steelers left tackle Kelvin Beachum. The Jaguars signed Beachum to a unique deal that includes an option bonus that will lock in four additional seasons onto what is technically a one-year contract. Beachum is fully expected to win Jacksonville’s left tackle job, pushing former No. 2 overall pick to Luke Joeckel to guard, and with 2015 free agent addition Jermey Parnell on the right side, Beatty would appear to be relegated to swing tackle duty.
The Eagles, meanwhile, are faced with the possibility of losing one of their best offensive lineman for most of the season, as Johnson is currently waiting to hear back on his appeal of his 10-game PED ban (although he expects the suspension to stick). If Johnson’s appeal does indeed fail, Philadelphia’s in-house options at the moment are Dennis Kelly and Matt Tobin, neither of whom head coach Doug Pederson sounded enthused about yesterday.
Beatty, 31, missed the entire 2015 campaign after tearing his pectoral, and was released by New York following the season. Given that recent injury, it’s no wonder that clubs have been slow to call, but Beatty missed only one game in the three seasons prior to 2015, and Rock reports that he’s now fully healthy. PFR ranked Beatty as the seventh-best offensive free agent still on the board earlier this year; since that time, five of the six players listed ahead of Beatty have found new deals.
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Jaguars Looking To Trade Depth At DL/TE
- ESPN analyst (and former NFL general manager) Mark Dominik told SiriusXM’s Alex Marvez that the Jaguars could be looking to make a deal. The team is very deep at defensive line and tight end, and Dominik says the front office is hoping to trade some of their depth before the end of the preseason (Twitter link).
[SOURCE LINK]
Latest On Greg Hardy
It’s mid-August and one of the league’s most talented defensive ends remains without an NFL team. To date, no club has been willing to take on the baggage that comes with signing Greg Hardy and few have even been willing to give the idea real consideration. Despite that, agent Drew Rosenhaus claims that there is a healthy market for his client that will result in a deal before long. 
[RELATED: Jerry Jones Reflects On Greg Hardy’s Time With Cowboys]
“There is some substantial team interest in Greg,” Rosenhaus, Hardy’s agent, told Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. “I do believe he will be signed in the near future by either a team that suffers an injury on the defensive line or a club that realizes it simply needs more talent on the defensive front.”
This summer, the Redskins and the Jaguars thought about signing Hardy but both teams 86’d the idea pretty quickly. The Redskins internally discussed Hardy (and likely leaked the news to gauge public reaction) but decided against adding the former Pro Bowler in the wake of linebacker Junior Galette‘s season-ending injury. The Jaguars, meanwhile, appear to be the only team to have actually auditioned Hardy, but they have ruled him out for the time being. Graziano hears that the Jaguars only worked out Hardy to see how he sounded in person and looked on the field in case they were to suffer an injury.
Teams know that signing Hardy will bring on a PR firestorm, but they are more wary of how the troubled defensive end could potentially poison the locker room.
“It’s not what happened in his past,” said one official whose team is not interested in Hardy. “It’s the way he reacted last year to everything that happened in his past that would concern me. If he’d been a model citizen and played at a high level, he’d still be in Dallas.”
For now, the former Panthers star is working out in Florida with NFL combine trainer Pete Bommarito while he waits for a call from a team in need.
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