Report: Jaguars Sign Nick O’Leary Partially Due to Injury to Josh Oliver
The Jacksonville Jaguars have reportedly made an addition to their tight end room after sports agency SportsTrust Advisors announced fifth-year tight end Nick O'Leary would be signing with the team.
The signing comes a day after rookie tight end Josh Oliver sustained a back injury during the second half of Week 11's 33-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Oliver suffered back fractures and his injury is partially why O'Leary is being added to the fold.
With only six games remaining in the 2019 season, it is unclear if Oliver will be able to return to the Jaguars (4-6) before the season concludes. Oliver, the team's third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, missed the first six games of the season with a hamstring injury.
The Jaguars have been stricken by injuries at the tight end position and have received little to zero production from the position for the majority of 2019. In four games, Oliver recorded only three catches for 15 yards and never became a large part of the offense.
The Jaguars have already lost tight end James O'Shaughnessy (ACL) for the season and tight end Geoff Swaim (concussion/ankle) is also on the team's reserve/injured list. Tight end Seth DeValve missed Sunday's game with an oblique injury, meaning only journeyman Ben Koyack left Sunday's game healthy.
O'Leary was a sixth-round pick for the Buffalo Bills in the 2015 NFL Draft and spent three years with the team before spending 2018 and parts of 2019 with the Miami Dolphins. In his career, he has totaled 44 catches for 596 yards and three touchdowns.
O'Leary's best season came with the Bills in 2017 when he caught 22 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns.
The health status of Oliver and DeValve will be crucial for the Jaguars' offense moving forward over the final six games, even with neither producing much in the time they have spent on the field this season. Koyack was cut from the team in September and only brought back because of injuries to O'Shaughnessy and Swaim, while O'Leary was released by the hapless Miami Dolphins earlier this season.
