Jaguars Sign Jonathan Woodard
- The Jaguars have signed defensive end Jonathan Woodard, reports John Oehser of Jaguars.com (via Twitter). The seventh-round pick owns the career sack record (30.5) at Central Arkansas. Woodard was one of three defensive ends to be selected by the Jaguars, joining Yannick Ngakoue (Maryland) and Tyrone Holmes (Montana).
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Jaguars Sign Allen, Holmes
- The Jaguars sign sixth-round quarterback Brandon Allen, as Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets.
- The Jaguars signed sixth-round linebacker/defensive end Tyrone Holmes, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
Jaguars GM: Not Make-Or-Break Year For Bradley
- Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell says that this isn’t necessarily a make-or-break year for coach Gus Bradley, even though the team’s owner is expecting a winning season. “I think, for us, we’ve always targeted year four and year five in this building of this team,” Caldwell said on NFL Network (transcript from Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com). “We wanted to make good, safe, sound decisions and build a foundation for the first three years, and then take a little bit of risk this year going into year four. You saw that with the Myles [Jack] pick and some of our free-agent acquisitions, and we’re making a push for it. Coach Bradley and his staff, they do a great job and I think we just have to show improvement, continue to show improvement. I don’t know what that looks like in the wins and loss columns, but I expect good things and our best football is ahead of us.”
Jaguars Decline Luke Joeckel’s 2017 Option
The second overall pick from the 2013 draft will not have his fifth-year option picked up for 2017, reports Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. According to O’Halloran, the Jaguars have decided to turn down Luke Joeckel‘s 2017 option.
[RELATED: Fifth-Year Option Decision Tracker]
Joeckel, the first pick made by the Jaguars after Dave Caldwell became the general manager and Gus Bradley became the head coach, hasn’t exactly been the most successful selection of their tenure in Jacksonville. Although he has started 35 games for the Jags since joining the team in 2013, including 30 over the last two years, Joeckel has been inconsistent and hasn’t lived up to his draft slot.
After spending the last two years as Jacksonville’s left tackle, Joeckel may be usurped by free agent signee Kelvin Beachum in 2016. The former Steeler is expected to take over as the Jags’ left tackle if he’s healthy. That could mean Joeckel ends up on the bench in a reserve role, or in a spot elsewhere on the line.
By turning down Joeckel’s $11.902MM option for 2017, the Jaguars perhaps preserve some trade value for the tackle as well. I don’t expect the team to find a taker for him, but if he has a solid camp and another club’s left tackle goes down with an injury, it’s in play. The 24-year-old is set to earn a guaranteed base salary of $3.296MM this season before becoming eligible for free agency in 2017.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jaguars Agree To Sign Nine UDFAs
The Jaguars announced that they’ve agreed to terms with nine undrafted free agents:
- Briean Boddy-Calhoun, CB, Minnesota
- Braedon Bowman, TE, South Alabama
- Rashod Hill, T, Southern Miss
- Mike Hilton, CB, Ole Miss ($15K base salary guarantee, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
- Jaden Oberkrom, K, TCU
- Jamal Robinson, WR, Louisiana-Lafayette
- Pearce Slater, DT, San Diego State
- Jarrod Wilson, S, Michigan ($15K base salary guarantee and $5K signing bonus, per Wilson)
- Max Wittek, QB, Hawaii
Extra Points: Cowboys, Lynch, Jaguars, Falcons
The Cowboys reportedly made an effort to trade back into the first round to take a shot at drafting quarterback Paxton Lynch, and though the club ultimately stayed put, Jerry Jones conveyed regret that Dallas didn’t make the deal. “I probably should have overpaid,” says Jones, according to Drew Davidson of the Fort Worth Star Telegram (Twitter link).
Here’s the latest on the draft as the undrafted free agent signing frenzy gets underway…
- The Jaguars have a fifth-year option decision to make, as the club will have the choice of extending left tackle Luke Joeckel‘s contract through the 2017 season. Jacksonville GM Dave Caldwell says he’ll speak with Joeckel about the option on Monday, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link).
- “Heck no” was Falcons head coach Dan Quinn‘s response when asked if receiver Devin Hester had been cleared for any activity after undergoing toe surgery in January, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. GM Thomas Dimitroff said in February that Atlanta will re-evaluate Hester’s status with the club when he’s fully healthy.
- Pass rush was an area of need for the Colts, but the prospects that appealed to GM Ryan Grigson came off the board early, he tells Mike Chappelle of FOX59 (Twitter link), adding that Indianapolis wasn’t going to allow need to trump its board.
Draft Rumors: Jack, Bills, Cowboys, Bears
Had the Jaguars traded down from No. 5 in the first round into the teens, they might have taken UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, according to general manager David Caldwell (Twitter link via John Oehser of Jaguars.com). The Jags stayed at fifth overall and selected Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, and they still ended up with Jack in the second round (36th overall). Jack, who’s recovering from a knee injury, took out a pre-draft insurance policy on himself, though he won’t collect any money from it because it wasn’t scheduled to kick in until the 45th pick, reports Darren Rovell of ESPN (Twitter link via Schefter).
Here’s more of the latest from the draft:
- Bills general manager Doug Whaley contacted every team picking before Buffalo in the second round in an effort to trade up for Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland, he said (link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). Whaley ultimately did move up and grab Ragland after sending the Bills’ second-rounder (No. 49) and a fourth-rounder in each of the next two drafts to the Bears for the 41st choice.
- Speaking of the Bears, they nearly had a deal to acquire the Cowboys’ second-rounder, No. 34 overall. Talks fell apart, though, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), and the Cowboys ended up using the pick on Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith.
- As a result of the knee injury he suffered in January, Smith took out on a $5MM insurance policy on himself before the draft and will now collect an estimated $900K in tax-free payment, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- The Cowboys have fielded trade inquiries on veteran offensive lineman Ronald Leary, but they’re not inclined to give him away for an underwhelming return, said executive vice president Stephen Jones. The Cowboys would rather keep Leary, leave him inactive all year, and get a compensatory pick for him next year when he leaves in free agency (Twitter links via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Leary, a four-year veteran, signed his second-round restricted free agent tender with the Cowboys on Thursday.
Jaguars, Ravens Swap 36th, 38th Picks
The Jaguars have acquired the 36th pick from the Ravens in exchange for Nos. 38 and 146, reports John Oehser of Jaguars.com (Twitter link). Jacksonville will select UCLA linebacker Myles Jack with the pick, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
Jack was expected to go early in the first round, perhaps as high as No. 5 to the Jags, but concerns over his knee led to his stock dropping. Jack suffered a torn meniscus early last season and subsequently underwent surgery. There were questions as to whether Jack would need microfracture surgery at some point, but renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews told him today that he does not require the procedure, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Jack will now become the most talented member of a Jags linebacker corps that features Paul Posluszny, Dan Skuta and Telvin Smith. He’s the latest big-time pickup for a defense that added first-round cornerback Jalen Ramsey on Thursday and nabbed accomplished free agents in Malik Jackson, Tashaun Gipson and Prince Amukamara earlier this offseason.
Myles Jack Does Not Need Microfracture Surgery
Linebacker Myles Jack went undrafted in the first round due to concerns over his injured knee. As we approach the second round, teams might now have enough peace of mind to pull the trigger on the highly-talented UCLA product. Dr. James Andrews told Jack today that he does not need micro-fracture surgery, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Dr. Andrews, one of the nation’s foremost surgeons for athletes, also examined Jack back in December. 
Jack missed most of the 2015 campaign thanks to a torn meniscus in his knee. In recent weeks, there were whispers that Jack required further surgery that could keep him off the field for part of the 2016 season. Now, it appears that will not be the case.
“[The degenerative problems are] there, but it’s nothing extreme. Down the line, possibly I could have microfracture surgery – potentially,” Jack told a reporter on Wednesday, possibly causing some alarm amongst NFL decision-makers. “Who knows what will happen? Nobody knows how long anybody is going to play in this league. To play three years in this league would be above average.”
The Cowboys are one team near the top of the draft that will apparently not consider Jack, but other teams will surely look to land the linebacker who was considered to be a top-15 player just one month ago. A Jaguars source told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that the team will not trade up to get Jack, but they might be willing to draft him at some point.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Justin Blackmon Pleads Guilty To DUI
Justin Blackmon has pleaded guilty to one count of misdemeanor DUI stemming from a December arrest in Oklahoma, as TMZ writes. This incident marks Blackmon’s second DUI in three years. The former Jaguars wide receiver – who technically remains on the team’s roster, on the reserve-suspended list – was banned indefinitely in 2013 for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.