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Jaguars Designate Christian Kirk For Return

January 3rd, 2024 at 8:37am CST by Sam Robinson

Christian Kirk‘s Week 13 injury has made a considerable impact on the Jaguars’ passing attack. The sixth-year wide receiver underwent core muscle surgery, a procedure that threatened his availability for the rest of the season. But the Jags still have a chance to see Kirk return to action.

Jacksonville designated Kirk for return from IR on Wednesday, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Considering this is the first week Kirk could return to practice, the 2022 free agency addition being ready this soon represents a somewhat surprising development.

The former Cardinals second-rounder was believed to need more recovery time. With the Jags in danger of missing the playoffs, they will see how their slot target looks ahead of a win-and-in Week 18 showdown. The Jaguars will face the Titans on Sunday. A win would give them a second straight division title for the first time since the franchise’s back-to-back AFC Central crowns in 1998 and ’99. The team may need some injury timetables to break right to have a good shot at hanging onto this hope.

While the Jags were able to win without Kirk, Zay Jones and Trevor Lawrence, they faced the Panthers in Week 17. Although the Titans have not won a game in the AFC South this season, they represent a more formidable obstacle compared to Carolina. Lawrence did not practice last week, missing his first NFL game, and Jones has not played since Week 15.

Kirk went down in the first half of the Jags’ overtime loss to the Bengals. Illustrating Kirk’s impact, Jacksonville (9-7) entered that Monday-night game 8-3. While Lawrence’s run of setbacks has impacted the Jags during this span as well, the team has struggled offensively for most of the past month without its $18MM-per-year pass catcher. After his first 1,000-yard season, Kirk was on pace for a second prior to the injury. He compiled 787 yards on 57 receptions, scoring three touchdowns in his second Jaguars season.

The Jags defeating the Titans would ensure two AFC South teams qualify for the playoffs, with Saturday night’s Colts-Texans matchup a win-and-in game. If Tennessee upsets Jacksonville, the winner of the Houston-Indianapolis matchup would claim the division title. Lawrence’s availability will be paramount for the Jags, and the prospect of Kirk being back as well would obviously bolster their chances of salvaging their season with a playoff berth.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

January 1st, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

It took the Bears until Week 18 for the No. 1 draft slot to become a reality; the Panthers did not make them wait that long this year. Carolina’s struggles will give Chicago the No. 1 overall pick for a second straight year. How the Bears will proceed with that pick will become one of the NFL’s defining 2024 storylines.

The Cardinals’ unexpected conquest in Philadelphia knocked them down two slots in the 2024 draft order. As a result, the Commanders — who resided in the fourth position before the Patriots’ Christmas Eve upset ended the Russell Wilson era in Denver — hold the No. 2 pick going into the regular season’s final Sunday.

The Commanders benched Sam Howell in back-to-back weeks and were set to, prior to a midweek Jacoby Brissett setback, shelve him for Week 17 as well. The Ron Rivera era is in its final days, with front office changes likely as well. A Commanders-Caleb Williams connection has emerged, which would make Washington quite interested in what Chicago does at No. 1 overall — or key another round of Bears talks about dropping from 1 to 2, which took place with the Texans this offseason. With the Bears likely considering another Justin Fields season and the Cardinals having Kyler Murray tied to a $46.1MM-per-year contract, the Commanders are suddenly a team to watch regarding a QB investment.

Bill Belichick is also perched as a key 2024 domino, but with the legendary HC not eager to leave New England, one of the most important decisions in franchise history awaits Robert Kraft. Belichick or his replacement could hold a top-three pick in 2024, though another Pats win — they have the Jets in Week 18 — would complicate an effort to land a top-tier QB prospect.

Entering Week 18, here is how the 2024 draft order looks:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. Washington Commanders: 4-12
  3. New England Patriots: 4-12
  4. Arizona Cardinals: 4-12
  5. New York Giants: 5-11
  6. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-11
  7. Tennessee Titans: 5-11
  8. New York Jets: 6-10
  9. Atlanta Falcons: 7-9
  10. Chicago Bears: 7-9
  11. Las Vegas Raiders: 7-9
  12. Minnesota Vikings: 7-9
  13. New Orleans Saints: 8-8
  14. Denver Broncos: 8-8
  15. Seattle Seahawks: 8-8
  16. Cincinnati Bengals: 8-8
  17. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  18. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7
  19. Green Bay Packers: 8-8
  20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-8
  21. Indianapolis Colts: 9-7
  22. Jacksonville Jaguars: 9-7
  23. Los Angeles Rams: 9-7
  24. Buffalo Bills: 10-6
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: 10-6
  26. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5
  27. Detroit Lions: 11-5
  28. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  29. Miami Dolphins: 11-5
  30. Dallas Cowboys: 11-5
  31. San Francisco 49ers: 12-4
  32. Baltimore Ravens: 13-3

Jaguars WR/KR Jamal Agnew Suffers Fractured Leg

January 1st, 2024 at 2:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars are one of three teams still in contention to win the AFC South, but their special teams have been dealt a blow. Head coach Doug Pederson announced on Monday that receiver/returner Jamal Agnew suffered a fractured lower leg in Week 17.

As a result of the injury, he will miss the remainder of the season. The news leaves Jacksonville without a complementary option in the passing game for Week 18 and any postseason games the team plays. The Jaguars will also be without their primary kick and punt returner, though.

Agnew has handled return duties in each of his three seasons in Duval County. He recorded a 102-yard kick return in 2021, and he followed that up with another strong season last year. The 28-year-old earned a Pro Bowl nod by totaling 1,025 scrimmage yards and averaging 26 yards per kick return. He has matched the latter figure in 2023, making him an integral member of Jacksonville’s special teams unit.

The former Lions fifth-rounder has also chipped in on offense, retaining a secondary pass-catching role this season. Agnew posted 14 receptions for 225 yards (the second highest total of his career) and one touchdown, production which will especially be missed in the event Christian Kirk is unable to play again in 2023. The latter is on injured reserve due to core muscle surgery, and his return to the lineup is in the air at this point.

Sitting at 9-7, the Jaguars are currently atop their division. They will finish the campaign against the Titans knowing they will need to keep pace with the winner of the Week 18 Colts-Texans matchup to clinch a playoff berth. Jacksonville will be forced to do so without Agnew in the fold. Given his status as a pending free agent, the injury could hinder his market in the offseason on a new Jags pact or one sending him elsewhere.

Jaguars Activate OT Cam Robinson From IR

December 30th, 2023 at 12:45pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jaguars won’t have Trevor Lawrence under center against the Panthers tomorrow, but the team will welcome back their star offensive lineman. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the Jaguars are activating left tackle Cam Robinson from injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the Jaguars have waived lineman Chandler Brewer (per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston).

[RELATED: Jaguars Rule Out QB Trevor Lawrence For Week 17]

After landing on injured reserve in November thanks to a knee injury, Robinson returned to Jaguars practice earlier this week. That opened the veteran’s 21-day activation window, and despite receiving an initial recovery timeline of up to six weeks, the Jaguars were confident in adding him to the active roster when first eligible.

The former second-round pick has spent his entire career in Jacksonville, starting all 82 of his regular-season appearances. Robinson missed the first four games of this season while serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, but he started each of the next seven games for Jacksonville. Pro Football Focus only has Robinson ranked 48th among 84 qualifying offensive tackles this season, but he is graded 12th at the position for pass blocking.

The Jaguars offensive line has struggled mightily this season, allowing 154 pressures…only 10 of which have been attributed to Robinson. While Lawrence won’t immediately benefit from the lineman’s return, there’s hope that the franchise QB will be back in the lineup for the regular-season finale.

Brewer spent most of this season on Jacksonville’s practice squad. He got into only one game following his November promotion, playing exclusively on special teams. The former UDFA spent the first few seasons of his career with the Rams, starting four of his 13 appearances.

Jaguars Rule Out QB Trevor Lawrence For Week 17

December 29th, 2023 at 2:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trevor Lawrence has played through knee and high ankle sprains this season, and the former No. 1 overall pick navigated concussion protocol to return last week. But the Jaguars quarterback’s iron-man start to his career will stop Sunday.

The Jags ruled out their starter for their Week 17 game against the Panthers. Lawrence is battling a sprained AC joint that forced him out of a Week 16 blowout loss to the Buccaneers. Despite the Jags’ recent swoon, they will not rush their franchise QB back to work. C.J. Beathard will take the reins against Carolina.

This comes at a crucial point for Jacksonville, which has lost its past three games to drop to 8-7 and into a three-way tie for first place in the AFC South. The losses have come after Lawrence suffered an ugly-looking injury against the Bengals, and while he made a surprising recovery in time to play through that high ankle sprain, his performance has suffered since that Monday-night sequence. The Bucs ran up a big lead on the Jags before Lawrence left the game due to his new shoulder injury.

Lawrence, 24, never missed a game due to injury at Clemson, either. The 2021 top pick missed two contests as a junior due to COVID-19. This AC joint issue will stop his 49-start streak in the NFL. Lawrence has not practiced this week. The Jags will rely on Beathard, in his third season with the team, to keep them afloat in the AFC playoff race.

While the much-hyped young talent has enjoyed moments that remind of his draft stock this season, it has not brought the breakthrough many expected. The Jaguars handing the play-calling reins to OC Press Taylor, after Doug Pederson called the shots last season, has produced a slight dip — from 10th to 13th — in both total and scoring offense. DVOA slots the Jags’ offense 15th; Lawrence ranks 13th in QBR. The 6-foot-6 signal-caller has thrown 12 interceptions and ranks third among QBs this season with 12 fumbles; he lost seven of those. Eight of Lawrence’s 19 turnovers have come in the past three games.

The Jaguars will have the opportunity to extend Lawrence in 2024, but with the fifth-year option allowing them to push his rookie contract through 2025, it is possible the team could press pause due to his rocky third season. Lawrence will still enter the 2024 season as the unquestioned Jags QB1, but the team has not taken off like many assumed it would following a late-season surge that culminated with the 27-point playoff rally.

Beathard, 30, has signed two contracts with the Jags. The Urban Meyer-year investment re-signed — on a two-year, $4.5MM deal — this offseason. The former third-round pick has not made a start since Week 17 of the 2020 season, a 273-yard showing in a narrow 49ers loss to the Seahawks. For his career, Beathard has made 12 starts; the 49ers went 2-10 in those games. He is a career 59.9% passer (6.9 yards per attempt).

Not only is Beathard now a central figure in the Jaguars’ hopes to repeat as division champions for the first time since the late 1990s, the 2-13 Panthers suddenly have a better chance to win — a development that could affect the 2024 draft order.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/28/23

December 28th, 2023 at 6:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed off 49ers practice squad: OT Ilm Manning

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Germain Ifedi‘s underwhelming stint with the Bills has come to an end. The veteran offensive lineman joined the Bills this past offseason and was expected to provide some experienced depth. Instead, Ifedi was inactive for every game this season, and the Bills have decided his roster spot could be put to better use. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg believes this move will likely open a spot for defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.

Jaguars Open LT Cam Robinson’s Practice Window

December 27th, 2023 at 3:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Looking to rebound in the closing weeks of the season, the Jaguars could soon receive a boost along the offensive line. The team announced on Wednesday that left tackle Cam Robinson has been designated for return.

As a result of the move, the veteran’s 21-day practice window is now open. He must be activated within that span to avoid reverting to season-ending injured reserve. Robinson was placed on IR last month due to a knee injury, guaranteeing a four-week absence. The fact he has returned to practice when first eligible is an encouraging sign for his Week 17 availability.

Robinson has remained a full-time presence on the blindside in 2023, his seventh season in Jacksonville. The 28-year-old faced a reported recovery timeline of three to six weeks in the aftermath of being injured, so managing to suit up for the final two games of the Jags’ season would represent a positive with respect to his rehab process. In need of consistency on offense, the team could stand to return to health up front.

Once seen as a lock to win the AFC South, the Jaguars now find themselves in a three-way tie atop the division. That is due in large part to a four-game losing streak in Robinson’s absence, during which quarterback Trevor Lawrence has dealt with a number of injuries. The latter is now saddled with an AC joint sprain, and his availability for Sunday’s game against the Panthers is in question as a result. Having a healthy Robinson protecting whichever Jacksonville quarterback suits up would be a welcomed sign.

Attached to a three-year, $52.75MM deal, Robinson has delivered a level of play similar to his previous seasons when on the field this year. The Alabama product has earned an overall PFF grade of 63.5, which is in line with his career averages. He has, though, drawn a personal best 79.6 mark in pass protection. Both of those figures are higher than those produced by Walker Little, who has stepped in for Robinson during his absence.

Set to play the Panthers and Titans to close out the campaign, the Jaguars remain in contention for both the top spot in the division and a wild-card berth. Improved play on offense will be crucial to a securing a postseason position of any kind, and Robinson will look to help in that regard when he suits up. The Jaguars have four IR activations remaining.

Browns Attempted To Acquire Calvin Ridley In 2022

December 26th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

It took some moving parts for Amari Cooper to end up in Cleveland. In addition to the Cowboys determining his contract would no longer fit on their payroll, Cooper’s Browns arrival also looks to have been contingent on trade talks with the Falcons falling through.

Before the Browns turned their attention to Cooper in March 2022, they were one of the teams in on Calvin Ridley, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer. A Ridley-Eagles “what if?” also represents one of the wide receiver dominoes from a significant offseason in the position’s history; the Browns now loom here as well.

The Eagles nearly acquired Ridley before his suspension surfaced, but the Browns engaged with the Falcons on a deal as well. The team expected Chris Godwin and Mike Williams to be franchise-tagged, Breer adds. Only Godwin was, but Williams re-signed with the Chargers on a deal that matched Cooper’s 2020 terms (three years, $60MM) just before the 2022 free agency period. This took pieces off the table for the Browns, who were moving into position to trade for Deshaun Watson.

With Ridley off the board due to the suspension, the Browns landed Cooper at a much lower cost compared to what it took the Cowboys to pry him from the Raiders in 2018. The Cowboys, who sent the Raiders a first-round pick for Cooper in 2018, traded him to the Browns for a fifth-rounder and a swap of sixths. Other teams waited to see if the Cowboys would cut Cooper, per Breer, but his contract no longer looks particularly onerous. Jerry Jones said last year Cooper became unrealistic to retain, and the Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb on their extension radar. But the Browns have reaped considerable benefits from what amount to a flier on Cooper last year.

Upon breaking Josh Gordon‘s Browns single-game receiving record (with 265 yards), Cooper soared past his single-season career high Sunday. The ninth-year veteran is now at 1,250, which tops his previous career best of 1,160 — set with the 2022 Browns. Cooper, 29, now has seven 1,000-yard seasons in his career. For a team that has started four quarterbacks, the former top-five pick has been vital to it staying afloat in the playoff race.

The Browns did well to acquire Cooper before the receiver market exploded last year. His five-year, $100MM contract runs through 2024, and it began to look better after the run of receiver extensions that shaped the ’22 offseason. Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill raised the market’s ceiling, which still sits at $30MM per year, and the Eagles started the run on extensions for the 2019 class by giving A.J. Brown $25MM per year and a position-record $56.5MM fully guaranteed. After the likes of Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf signed, Cooper’s $20MM AAV dropped into a tie for 11th at the position. Cleveland has Cooper on a $23.8MM cap number in 2024. An extension, which would drop that figure, is likely on the AFC North team’s radar.

While the Browns and Eagles made their receiver moves during Ridley’s suspension, more clubs entered the Ridley mix before last year’s trade deadline. A few offers came the Falcons’ way, but after the team worked with the suspended wideout, he made his way to the Jaguars in a two-pick trade in which the compensation is not yet final.

The Jags sent a 2023 fifth-rounder and a conditional 2024 pick to the Falcons. That pick has already become a fourth, by virtue of Ridley making Jacksonville’s 53-man roster this year; it would rise to a second if the contract-year pass catcher signs an extension with the Jags. Ridley, 29, has produced an up-and-down season for the Jags, accumulating 871 yards. With Christian Kirk signed through 2025, it will be interesting to see if Jacksonville will be willing to part with a second-round pick by extending Ridley.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 26th, 2023 at 8:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Panthers, Cardinals and Commanders continued their losing ways in Week 16, the Patriots’ effort in Denver shook up the top of the 2024 draft. New England has dropped from second to fourth in the ’24 order.

In a strange spot in which Broncos fans and and undoubtedly many Pats supporters wanted the Russell Wilson-driven comeback to succeed, Chad Ryland‘s 56-yard game-winning field goal dropped New England out of the No. 2 spot, injecting doubt about the team’s ability to nab a top-flight QB prospect without trading up next year.

The Bears (via the Panthers) remain atop the table, holding a one-game lead on the Cardinals. Carolina closes its season with two games against eight-win teams — the Jaguars and Buccaneers. Arizona will face Philadelphia and Seattle, and with Carolina’s strength of schedule at .522 and Arizona’s at .561, the draft-order tiebreaker reaffirms the Bears’ placement on the doorstep of entering a second straight offseason holding a No. 1 overall pick. The Justin Fields matter remains an important big-picture NFL topic, but GM Ryan Poles is close to having his pick of the 2024 QB prospects.

It is not clear if the Commanders will be interested in a quarterback in the first round, but they will have a new regime running the show. The last time Washington held a top-three pick (2020), it passed on Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert due to having drafted Dwayne Haskins in the 2019 first round. With Sam Howell struggling as of late, Josh Harris‘ next set of decision-makers may want to bring in their own prospect. The Cardinals could stand in the Commanders’ way, via another trade in the top three, but suddenly Washington could be a player for a 2024 first-round QB.

Ahead of Week 17, here is how the 2024 draft order looks:

  1. Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
  2. Arizona Cardinals: 3-12
  3. Washington Commanders: 4-11
  4. New England Patriots: 4-11
  5. New York Giants: 5-10
  6. Los Angeles Chargers: 5-10
  7. Tennessee Titans: 5-10
  8. Chicago Bears: 6-9
  9. New York Jets: 6-9
  10. Atlanta Falcons: 7-8
  11. New Orleans Saints: 7-8
  12. Green Bay Packers: 7-8
  13. Las Vegas Raiders: 7-8
  14. Denver Broncos: 7-8
  15. Minnesota Vikings: 7-8
  16. Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
  17. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-7
  18. Cincinnati Bengals: 8-7
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-7
  20. Indianapolis Colts: 8-7
  21. Seattle Seahawks: 8-7
  22. Jacksonville Jaguars: 8-7
  23. Los Angeles Rams: 8-7
  24. Buffalo Bills: 9-6
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: 9-6
  26. Dallas Cowboys: 10-5
  27. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  28. Detroit Lions: 11-4
  29. Miami Dolphins: 11-4
  30. Philadelphia Eagles: 11-4
  31. San Francisco 49ers: 11-4
  32. Baltimore Ravens: 12-3

Jaguars Sign QB Matt Barkley Off Giants’ Practice Squad

December 26th, 2023 at 7:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dealing with yet another injury this season, Trevor Lawrence is not a lock to play in a pivotal Week 17 spot. Although the former No. 1 overall pick has continued to play through his myriad health issues this year, the Jags now have some additional insurance at quarterback.

They signed Matt Barkley off the Giants’ practice squad Tuesday. Because Barkley is being plucked from another team’s P-squad, he must remain on the Jags’ active roster for at least three weeks. The Jags’ prospects of extending their season into the playoffs have suddenly become foggy, but Barkley will be part of Jacksonville’s 53-man roster for the regular season’s remainder.

This is team No. 11 for Barkley, who came off the 2013 draft board 98th overall. The Jaguars were the team that traded the Eagles that pick, moving down three spots 10 years ago. Barkley has not played for all 10 of his previous teams — the Eagles, Cardinals, Bears, 49ers, Bengals, Bills, Titans, Panthers, Falcons and Giants — but is perhaps Josh Johnson‘s chief competition for the top spot among active QB journeymen.

The Giants added Barkley to their practice squad in late October, following Tyrod Taylor‘s rib injury, and bumped him up to their 53-man roster in the wake of Daniel Jones‘ ACL tear. Taylor has since returned, and Barkley did not factor into the team’s plans with both Taylor and Tommy DeVito on the active roster.

Succeeding Mark Sanchez as USC’s starter and starting four seasons with the Pac-12 program, Barkley has managed to play 11 NFL seasons without ever being viewed as a team’s preferred starter. Barkley, 33, has not seen game action since 2020 with the Bills. A Josh Allen backup for multiple seasons, Barkley did not make Buffalo’s 53-man roster this summer. Six of Barkley’s seven career starts came for the 2016 Bears, who had lost Jay Cutler for the season.

Lawrence has battled through a knee sprain, an ugly-looking high ankle sprain and a concussion this season. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick now has a sprained AC joint, per Doug Pederson. The injury led Lawrence out of a Week 16 blowout loss in Tampa, and the Jags have plummeted to 8-7. While Lawrence has never missed a game as a pro, he has seen injuries impact him significantly this season.

The Jags, who played their Week 16 game without wideouts Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, have C.J. Beathard in line to start if Lawrence cannot go. Barkley would be in line to back up Beathard in that event. E.J. Perry remains on Jacksonville’s practice squad. To make room for Barkley on the 53-man roster, the Jags placed backup safety Daniel Thomas on IR.

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