Jaguars Waive Former Draft Pick Following Injury

Gregory Junior was a member of the 2022 draft class and was waived from the Jacksonville Jaguars' IR list on Thursday.

Nov 19, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Gregory Junior (34) warms up before a game against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars are parting ways with a former draft pick.

The Jaguars officially waived cornerback Gregory Junior from the team's reserve/injured list via an injury settlement, meaning he is no longer a member of the organization's active or injured roster.

Junior sustained a knee injury during the Jaguars' stadium practice earlier this month, ending his third season in the NFL and first season in the Jaguars' new scheme.

Junior was selected with the No. 197 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, with his sixth-round selection marking the first time a player had ever been drafted from Ouachita Baptist.

After appearing in just one game as a rookie, Junior had a stellar 2023 training camp in the Jaguars' old scheme and was seen as an ascending member of the secondary. Junior appeared in nine games and recorded 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a pass breakup.

There has been a lot of turnover in the Jaguars' cornerback and safety rooms this offseason after their switch from Mike Caldwell's scheme, and Junior's release is the latest move after several additions over the last few weeks in the back end of the defense.

“[Defensive Backs Coach] Kris Richard, [Defensive Assistant/Cornerbacks Coach] Cory Robinson and [Assistant Secondary Coach/Defensive Analyst] Mike Gray are all in that room. So, what they'll do is they'll take them at certain times of the day and have extra meetings with them within the schedule.," Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen said this week.

"There are times in the day that they can fit in an extra meeting or just—when it's one-on-one, it goes a lot faster than when you're with the whole group. So those guys have done a really good job. Then when you watch them, they'll be standing by the coaches on the field at practice and they're kind of coaching them through, ‘Hey, this is what's happening on that rep,’ so we're speeding up the learning curve."

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