Jaguars Add 13 Players to Practice Squad: 3 Observations on the Initial Group

The Jaguars made a series of roster moves on Wednesday to set their practice squad and make room for Tyron Johnson. What do the moves mean moving forward?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are one step closer to having their final Week 1 roster set. 

A day after initial 53-man rosters were finalized, the Jaguars made a series of other moves on Wednesday. They claimed Tyron Johnson, waived Daniel Ekuale, released Josh Jones, and signed 13 players to the practice squad.

• CB Lorenzo Burns
• DT Doug Costin
• WR Jeff Cotton Jr.
• RB Nathan Cottrell
• WR Phillip Dorsett II
• WR Josh Hammond
• OL KC McDermott
• RB Devine Ozigbo
• DB Brandon Rusnak
• WR Devin Smith
• OL Badara Traore
• WR Laquon Treadwell
• OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms

What do the moves on Wednesday mean moving forward, and why did the Jaguars make them? We take a look below.

Tyron Johnson pushed other receivers down the pecking order, but Jaguars end up with experience over youth and upside on the practice squad

It was a bit of a shock to see the Jaguars keep only five receivers on their first 53-man roster on Tuesday, but their vision became much clearer when Urban Meyer basically all but said the Jaguars would use their top priority spot on the waiver wire to claim a receiver. The Jaguars did just that today, claiming former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tyron Johnson after he was surprisingly waived on Tuesday. 

As a result of Johnson getting added to the roster, the Jaguars saw the rest of their receiver room from training camp fall down the pecking order. Collin Johnson was claimed by the New York Giants, while Devin Smith, Phillip Dorsett, and Laquon Treadwell were all kept on the practice squad. The Jaguars took advantage of the ability to hold up to six veterans on the practice squad, using several of those spots at receiver.

Similarly, the Jaguars don't have 2021 sixth-round pick Jalen Camp on the first practice squad. It remains to be seen where Camp will sign for the 2021 season, but it is rare for a draft pick to not be on the team's practice squad at the very minimum. 

The Jaguars have three open practice squad spots; which areas make sense for them to prioritize? 

The Jaguars still have three spots on their practice squad to fill, which means the team isn't done adding to the roster. There are a few positions that are noticeably missing from the Jaguars' current 13-man practice squad, making it a bit easier to project who the Jaguars could add to the team. 

The Jaguars don't have a single tight end on the practice squad, which is a surprise considering Meyer was complimentary of 2020 sixth-round selection Tyler Davis on Tuesday. With fellow 2020 sixth-round pick Jake Luton signing with the Seattle Seahawks and joining their 53-man roster on Wednesday, the Jaguars are also missing a third arm on their roster, making it likely they sign a practice squad quarterback to round out the room. Finally, the Jaguars will potentially add a specialist to the practice squad after Meyer said they wanted a backup for the kicker/punter positions.

“We had that conversation. We have maybe a practice squad guy that can be a backup to all in case something happens," Meyer said on Tuesday. "We’re doing that actually today. But as of now, we’re going with the three, the long snapper [Ross Matiscik], with [P Logan] Cooke and with [K Josh] Lambo. Lambo hit it really well.”

Jaguars retain three players who arguably could have made the 53-man roster in Ozigbo, Cotton Jr., and Costin

The Jaguars went heavy on adding to the offensive side of the ball with their practice squad, a result of having a roster that was filled with mostly defensive players at the end of Tuesday. As a result of the Jaguars' decision to go heavy on defense for the 53-man roster, they had the flexibility to add two players who had played themselves into consideration for the final roster in running back Devine Ozigbo and wide receiver Jeff Cotton Jr. Ozigbo and Cotton Jr. were arguably the Jaguars' best backup skill players during the preseason, so bringing each back on the practice squad is a win that can help offset the loss of Johnson.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars got lucky with Doug Costin. He was a legitimately good run defender in the Jaguars' 4-3 defense last year, putting up some of the best production vs. the run of any rookie defensive lineman. He lost out on this year's final roster due to the numbers game, but he would fit in on any 53-man roster, making him a key player to keep on the roster in some capacity.