3 Observations on Jaguars Waiving of Dylan Moses, What it Means For Depth Chart
The Jacksonville Jaguars surprised a number of people on Monday afternoon, officially waiving former undrafted free agent linebacker Dylan Moses.
Many presumed Moses, a former top recruit and star at Alabama whose collegiate career was hampered by injuries, would have a shot to carve out a role with Jacksonville this season following the release of Myles Jack and free agency departures of Damien Wilson and Dakota Allen.
But what does the waiving of Moses mean for the Jaguars and their depth chart moving forward, and why did the Jaguars make such a move? We break down some thoughts below.
Continue to expect the Jaguars to use one of their first four picks on a linebacker
While it is now clear the Jaguars never saw Moses as much of an option to replace Jack moving forward, the Jaguars' already-significant hole at linebacker is now even larger, even if only marginally. The Jaguars needed a linebacker to add to their depth chart and potentially pair next to Foyesade Olukun even before cutting ties with Moses, but the need is even greater now than it was a week ago.
The linebackers on the Jaguars' roster entering offseason workouts are now free-agent signee Oluokun, Shaquille Quarterman, Chapelle Russell, Tyrell Adams, and Elijah Sullivan. Only one of those players has been a consistent starter at the NFL level and there questions about if the Jaguars have any true depth. Moses wasn't a part of the Jaguars' plans, but a linebacker room that needed more talent now needs even more bodies. Look for the Jaguars to begin targeting linebackers as early as No. 33, with picks No. 65 and No. 70 also being options.
Why the Jaguars likely moved on from Moses before the draft
The major question following the waiving of Moses was simply "why?". Moses was seen as a major undrafted free agent signing due to the potential he showed at Alabama, and he had been cleared to practice this season after spending his entire rookie season on the non-football injury list.
With that in mind, it is fair to wonder why the Jaguars to view Moses in a different light. This is just a theory and isn't based on any insider information, but the one thing I keep coming back to is the fact that Moses was simply the most replaceable member of the linebacker room; a room that will soon be adding more talent to it via the draft.
The thing working against Moses was the very thing that gave him perceived potential: his lack of NFL tape and experience. The entire idea behind Moses being a potentially high ceiling project was based on his lore as a recruit and his early years at Alabama. Without Moses actually taking any NFL snaps, one could continue to sell themselves on him being that type of player. But with Moses having zero NFL experience whatsoever, the Jaguars had no real reason to keep him over other depth linebackers on the roster.
Waiving of Moses is a good sign for Shaquille Quarterman to have a key role, either as depth or on special teams
I wouldn't pencil in Shaquille Quarterman or Chapelle Russell as starters in Jacksonville as of today considering there is an entire draft that still has to play out. With that in mind, I do think Moses no longer being on the roster is a good sign for Quarterman, the former fourth-round selection who has been mostly a depth and special teams player the last few seasons.
For one, Quarterman now has significantly less competition for the No. 3 linebacker role. If the Jaguars do draft a linebacker at some point, Quarterman makes the most sense as the Jaguars' most immediate backup, and the release of Moses makes Russell his only real competition for that spot. It also adds to the importance Quarterman could play on special teams, with him likely to reprise his role of the last two seasons in that regard.
