Luke Joeckel

Luke Joeckel Set For Knee Surgery

October 5th, 2016 at 7:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The prospects of Luke Joeckel returning to the Jaguars later this season after a stay on IR dimmed considerably Wednesday. Joeckel will undergo a knee surgery to repair a “major” MCL injury, a torn meniscus and possible ACL tear, Chris Mortetnsen of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter).

Placed on IR on Tuesday, the fourth-year player was believed to be a candidate to return this season. This surgery could well put a halt to that and send him into free agency on a low note.

The Jaguars passed on the former No. 2 overall pick’s fifth-year option in May, making this season a pivotal one for the formerly maligned tackle-turned-guard. Pro Football Focus rated Joeckel as its No. 44 guard through four games. That’s better than the site’s impression of him as a tackle, but the small sample size at guard could still could Joeckel’s position future if he hits the market in March.

He’d still worked at tackle extensively this year due to Kelvin Beachum‘s injury problems. Joeckel started 39 games for the Jags since entering the league in 2013.

Third-year player Patrick Omameh could step into Joeckel’s spot between Joeckel and center Brandon Linder. He’s started a game for the Jags this season and is the only player standing between the former Texas A&M standout and two UDFAs on the depth chart.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jaguars Place Luke Joeckel On IR

October 4th, 2016 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars announced that guard Luke Joeckel will be placed on injured reserve. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), he is a candidate to return later this season, so his year might not be over.

Joeckel, 25 in November, was taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Unfortunately for Jacksonville, he hasn’t lived up to his pre-draft hype. In the spring, the Jags declined his fifth-year option for 2017. Although he has started 39 games for the Jags since joining the team in 2013, including 34 over the last two years and change, Joeckel has been inconsistent and hasn’t lived up to his draft slot.

The Jaguars, now down one offensive lineman, have a bye week coming up before they travel to Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 16.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC South Notes: Texans, Savage, Jaguars

August 22nd, 2016 at 8:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Third-year pro Tom Savage is the Texans’ backup quarterback, head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I think [Savage] is No. 2 right now, but that’s not to say that [Brandon] Weeden hasn’t done a good job,” said O’Brien. “I think Weeden has really improved. Tom has been in our system for three years, Weeden’s only been in it for about eight months or close to a year.” Weeden signed a two-year deal with Houston this offseason that includes $450K guaranteed, so it seems unlikely that they’d part ways this soon.

Here’s more from the AFC South:

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.
The Texans‘ injury settlement with cornerback Richard Leonard is worth $176,294, according to Wilson. That’s nine weeks salary at a rate of $330K.
Earlier tonight, the Colts signed veteran cornerback Antonio Cromartie to a one-year deal after learning that fellow defensive back Vontae Davis will be sidelined for at least the first month of the season.

Extra Points: Brees, Bradford, Browns, Jags

May 25th, 2016 at 8:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints and Drew Brees haven’t had contract extension talks in about a month and a half, the quarterback said Wednesday (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of NFL.com). Brees added that he doesn’t like talking contract during the season, per Larry Holder of NOLA.com (on Twitter). That means the Saints’ hopes of extending the 37-year-old could be put on hold for a while if they don’t lock him up prior to their Sept. 11 opener. Brees is currently scheduled to count $30MM against New Orleans’ cap this year, the final season of his contract.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Although the Eagles traded up in the draft to use the No. 2 overall pick on quarterback Carson Wentz, the expectation is that veteran Sam Bradford will at least begin the 2016 season as their starter. That might not be the case, however, according to new offensive coordinator Frank Reich. On whether Bradford is the Eagles’ clear-cut No. 1 option under center, Reich told CBS Philly, “No, that’s probably not the right impression.” He continued, “This is one of the most competitive industries in the world and so, to say that there’s not competition, that’s just the furthest thing from the truth.”
Longtime Browns left tackle Joe Thomas stated at the end of last season that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue his career with rebuilding Cleveland, but the nine-year veteran is now pleased that the team didn’t trade him. “It wouldn’t have surprised me if I had been traded, but I’m happy that I didn’t. So it’s kind of a happy ending,” he told Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Thomas, who has gone to the Pro Bowl every year of his career, is also pleased with the Browns’ new head coach, Hue Jackson. “I was always jealous of the guys that were in Cincinnati running Hue Jackson’s offense because it’s a very offensive line friendly offense, a lot of quick throws, a lot of easy fade balls, a lot of different formations to spread the defense out, confuse them, get them into really vanilla looks, some up-tempo stuff, smash-mouth football, he really wants to run the ball inside the tackles,” he said.
Like Thomas, Jaguars left tackle Luke Joeckel is glad he’s still with his current club. “I love Jacksonville. I’d love to stay here. It all comes down to my play. I’m only focused on myself and me playing football, getting better at left tackle,” he said (link via Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com). While Joeckel’s goal is to improve at tackle, there’s a good chance he’ll shift inside to guard if free agent pickup Kelvin Beachum wins the LT job, as expected, per DiRocco. Since the Jags used the second pick of the 2013 draft on Joeckel, the former Texas A&M standout has been a disappointment. Joeckel’s struggles led Jacksonville to decline his fifth-year option for 2017 and sign Beachum.
It’s not clear whether right tackle Seantrel Henderson will be a part of the Bills‘ plans in 2016 and coach Rex Ryan admits that he hasn’t spoken to him in some time. “I have no update for you guys on that. So that is a medical thing,” Ryan said (link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW) “I really have no update. I haven’t seen Seantrel in quite a while.” A seventh-round pick in 2014, Henderson started all 16 games in his rookie season in Buffalo, and had started 10 games for the team in 2015 before he was sidelined with Crohn’s disease.
Free agent wide receiver Wes Welker isn’t sure if he wants to continue his NFL career in 2016. “There are some days I wake up I’m like, ‘OK I’m done,’ and other days I wake up and I’m like, ‘Maybe one more year,'” the five-time Pro Bowler said Wednesday, per NFL Media (via Twitter). Welker, 35, joined the Rams midway through last season and posted unimpressive numbers (13 receptions and 102 yards) in eight games.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jaguars Decline Luke Joeckel’s 2017 Option

May 2nd, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Extra Points: Cowboys, Lynch, Jaguars, Falcons

April 30th, 2016 at 9:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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.

Jags Notes: Beachum, Joeckel, Cyprien, Sample

March 26th, 2016 at 6:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Jaguars won’t have a competition at left tackle between Luke Joeckel and free agent pickup Kelvin Beachum, according to Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com. Instead, the job will belong to Beachum if he’s able to return successfully from a torn ACL. Beachum – who signed a unique deal earlier this month that could be worth either $4.5MM for one year or $44.5MM over five years – said Friday that he does indeed expect to start when Week 1 rolls around in September. That’s bad news for Joeckel, who has started in all 35 career appearances since the Jaguars drafted him second overall in 2013. The 24-year-old hasn’t lived up to his draft status, though, and could end up in a reserve role in 2016.

Here are more notes on the Jaguars, all of which come courtesy of O’Halloran:

Jacksonville must decide by early May whether to exercise Joeckel’s fifth-year option for 2017, but O’Halloran expects the club to decline it because doing otherwise would kill the lineman’s trade value. If the Jags pick up the option, it would guarantee Joeckel upward of $11MM in 2017, though only in the event of a serious injury. Teams wouldn’t want to risk acquiring Joeckel and being stuck with that kind of financial commitment in the event of a nightmare scenario like, say, a torn Achilles. On the other hand, a version of Joeckel who doesn’t come with a 2017 option attached might appeal to clubs looking for help at left tackle next season.
Like Joeckel, safety Jonathan Cyprien could go from No. 1 to backup in 2016. Cyprien, a second-rounder in 2012, has started all 44 of his appearances, but he seems in danger of losing his job to James Sample. Cyprien had a team-high 21 missed tackles last season and hasn’t established himself as a playmaker, O’Halloran notes. As a fourth-rounder last year, Sample doesn’t have Cyprien’s draft pedigree, and he only appeared in four games (two starts) as a rookie because of a shoulder injury. Nonetheless, he has an important fan in head coach Gus Bradley. “We’ve seen flashes of Sample,” Bradley said. “His instincts — he’s a very good football player. In similar ways to Dante [Fowler], Sample is like another draft pick coming in.”
Denard Robinson was second to T.J. Yeldon among Jags running backs with 88 touches (67 rushes, 21 receptions) and 430 total yards last season, but the acquisition of Chris Ivory could make playing time scarce. Bradley insists the team isn’t going to phase Robinson out of its offense, though. “He’ll get in there, too,” Bradley said. “He’s our speed back. Again, a different style of running back.”

South Notes: Joeckel, Hasselbeck, Saints

February 28th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars have not decided on whether or not to pick up Luke Joeckel‘s fifth-year option, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports.

“It’s something we’re working through,” GM Dave Caldwell told media, including O’Halloran. “I know [the coaches] are going through all the film from last year and that will take the off-season and until the players come back. No decision has been made on that.”

Joeckel has not been what the Jaguars envisioned when they selected him No. 2 overall in 2013, and he turned in another underwhelming season in 2015, ranking at No. 50 on Pro Football Focus’ grades for tackles.

The Chiefs are facing a similar decision with 2013 No. 1 pick Eric Fisher in the tackle-rich draft, while the Eagles already extended their No. 4 pick, right tackle Lane Johnson, earlier this offseason. Last year, the cost for exercising fifth-year options on offensive linemen picked at Nos. 1-10 was $11.096MM.

O’Halloran theorizes the Jags are potentially waiting to see if Laremy Tunsil slips to them at No. 5. If not, he writes, the team will pick up Joeckel’s option. But if the Ole Miss prospect does somehow escape the top four picks, Jacksonville would be inclined to take him and pass on Joeckel’s 2017 season.

Here’s the latest from some of the league’s southernmost squads.

Caldwell told media the Jags aren’t far under the league’s salary floor, according to O’Halloran. With the CBA mandating teams spend 89% of their cash over a four-year period, the Jaguars and Raiders reside under that threshold for 2013-16. An Associated Press report on Feb. 4 placed the Jags at $28MM under this mark. Although the Jaguars have the most cap room in the league at $80.07MM, they have until the 2016 league year ends next March to reach the salary floor. “We haven’t [reached it], but we’re close,” Caldwell told media. “We don’t have to spend to the cap to get there. Trust me, we’ll have no issue getting to where we need to be.”
We heard earlier today the Colts will move away from Matt Hasselbeck as their backup quarterback. Financial discipline is at the root of this, according to Stephen Holder of the Indanapolis Star (Twitter links). Hasselbeck signed a one-year, $3MM deal to stay in Indianapolis last year and occupied $3.5MM and $3.75MM cap holds for the Colts in 2013 and ’14, respectively. Despite formerly signing a lucrative extension with the Bucs a few years ago before a career-altering swoon, Josh Freeman‘s only set to take up $760K of the Colts’ cap in 2016. The Colts will likely add additional inexpensive depth behind Andrew Luck, considering Freeman was playing in the Fall Experimental Football League last year.
The Saints met with Paxton Lynch at the Combine, Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com reports. Although the ex-Memphis quarterback seems to have fallen behind Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, he’s still considered a first-round prospect. Drew Brees has just one year remaining on his current contract and turned 37 in January, but as Dabe points out, the Saints used one of their 60 permitted prospect summits on Jameis Winston last year. The Saints remain committed to extending Brees’ contract.

Jaguars Rumors: Defense, Joeckel, Draft

January 27th, 2016 at 8:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars are getting a first-hand look at talent in this week’s Senior Bowl, Hays Carlyon of The Florida Times-Union writes. Jacksonville will likely end up taking an underclassmen with its first-round pick, but the club’s coaching staff could definitely be working with its future second-, third-, or fourth-round picks this week.

“When you’re there and you’re coaching it, it’s unbelievable,” coach Gus Bradley said. “You find some things about guys that you really like and then you find some things out that you say, I think you have to be careful that you don’t jump to conclusions. It’s just a piece of the puzzle. There’s a lot of good information. We get a chance to visit with both teams. To me, who does it help? It helps all of us. … We can knock out 80 guys or 90 guys or however many it is. That part is great.”

Here’s more on the Jags:

According to Carlyon, it would be surprising if Jacksonville doesn’t use at least six of its draft picks this spring on defensive players to help improve 2015’s unit. In a separate Times-Union piece, Carlyon quotes Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell on the subject. “We feel good about the offense right now,” Caldwell said. “We still have a ways to go and aren’t done by any means, but we’ll really focus on the defensive side of the ball. Getting [Dante] Fowler and [Sen’Derrick] Marks back will help us, then we have cap space and eight draft picks to fix the rest of the needs.”
Adding pass-rushing help will be a priority for the Jaguars this offseason, per Caldwell (via Carlyon). “We have a need there, whether it’s two more or three more,” the GM said. “You can never have enough pass rushers. There were a handful of games we were winning in the fourth quarter. If we had some pass rush, we could have closed half of them out. If we had, we’d been playing in January.”
Caldwell says the club has not yet begun discussions about re-signing any of its free agents or exercising the fifth-year option for left tackle Luke Joeckel, as ESPN.com’s Mike DiRocco writes. Joeckel, a former No. 2 overall pick, started 14 games in 2015.
Caldwell also said he doesn’t see the Jaguars trading up in the first round (Twitter link via DiRocco). The Jags, who finished 5-11, currently hold the No. 5 pick in the 2016 draft.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Ravens, Manning, McCown, Colts

September 18th, 2015 at 7:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Let’s look at some of the news coming from AFC teams’ camps as teams begin final preparations for Week 2.

Eugene Monroe will miss the Ravens‘ second game after sustaining a concussion in their first, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com reports. James Hurst will likely start at left tackle. Hurst helped DeMarcus Ware receive a J.J. Watt-esque +10.6 grade from Pro Football Focus in the Ravens’ Week 1 loss to the Broncos. Breshad Perriman will also miss Week 2.
John Harbaugh deemed recently signed pass-rusher Jason Babin fit to suit up for the Ravens on Sunday, with the team likely using him in pass-pursuit situations behind Elvis Dumervil and Courtney Upshaw, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports.
Josh McCown did not believe he sustained a concussion on his end zone dive against the Jets and drove himself home from the Browns‘ facility after the game, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports. Cleveland’s primary starter expected to be cleared for this week but will comply with the concussion protocol, Cabot notes. Mike Pettine seemed to acknowledge McCown endured a setback this week, according to Cabot, noting that such an occurrence resets the recovery clock in the concussion protocol.
Gary Kubiak‘s offense continues to be a dud with the Broncos thus far, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports, with Peyton Manning‘s hot stretch coinciding with the 18-year veteran taking 31-of-37 snaps out of the shotgun following his second-quarter pick-six compared to being under center for seven of the 13 plays prior to Marcus Peters‘ interception, per Football Outsiders. “We’re trying to help him by running the football better and do some things,” Kubiak told media. “But we also know what he’s very comfortable doing, so we’re trying to somehow find a medium between the two and we think that will be good for our team.”
Joel Corry of CBSSports.com examines whether a potential Colts dynasty has been squandered due to the failure to form a quality roster around Andrew Luck. Corry’s chart of contenders’ quality players lists the Colts with having nine, a number well below their top-tier brethren; the Broncos have 17, the Patriots 15, the Packers 14 and the Seahawks 13 in this analysis.
Jonathan Cyprien (calf) is doubtful for the Jaguars‘ AFC Florida supremacy battle, while Luke Joeckel (ankle) is questionable, according to an Associated Press report.

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