Jaguars Notebook: Thoughts as Jaguars Prepare For Atlanta, Trade for Cole Van Lanen and More
The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to be wheels up for Flowery Branch this afternoon, preparing to take on the Atlanta Falcons in a pair of joint training camp practices in Georgia before their Saturday preseason game.
But first, the Jaguars held one more padless practice in Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field. Head coach Doug Pederson updated several important topics before the Jaguars took the practice field for 90 minutes of non-contact work, including the kicker situation, the status of injured players and more.
So, what all did we hear and see on Tuesday afternoon? We break it down below.
Jaguars prepare for a week in Georgia
The Jaguars held a non-contact practice without pads at TIAA Bank Field on Tuesday. Shortly after, the team would set sights for Flowery Branch, Georgia, where the Jaguars and Pederson would hold joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons and Arthur Smith. Jacksonville will practice against the Falcons for two days and then play their fourth and final preseason game vs. Atlanta on Saturday.
“Tomorrow is a padded day. It will be a physical day, nothing live," Pederson said on Tuesday. "Talking with Coach Smith up there, both of us want to get work done and compete and see our teams against other opponents, and I’m looking forward to that. Just helmets and shells on Thursday and separate on Friday.”
The season opener is fewer than three weeks away, but the Jaguars are still set to see just how far along their team is in comparison to the Falcons, who just had joint practices against the New York Jets. The Jaguars don't have a ton of questions throughout the roster after three preseason games and weeks of camp, but this week will provide a good chance for players who need to stand out to do just that.
“Yeah. I think we’ve got a pretty good idea right now, but I told the team this morning, this is going to be a big week for a lot of guys," Pederson said.
"And, too, they’ve got to understand, not just our team but 31 other teams are watching our roster as well and seeing who’s going to make the 53, who’s not, because there’s going to be a lot of our players get picked up if they’re not here, but it’s a great opportunity for many players, especially the young guys to practice well and play well in this football game because they could end up on a roster. It may not be here, but it could be somewhere.”
Ultimately the Jaguars' plan is to not play starters unless they are needed, though some will dress for the game, which is set to be the Jaguars' fourth preseason game this month.
“The plan is not to if we don’t have to, but I always know going into these games that you’ve got to have some guys in some emergency roles just in case something happens," Pederson said. "Some of the starters will probably be in uniform, yes.”
Rotation at right tackle continues as Ben Bartch gets first-team reps
The Jaguars have two big questions along the offensive line before they begin to play the Washington Commanders in the season opener on the road. The right tackle battle between Jawaan Taylor and Walker Little has been even to this point, while the left guard battle between Ben Bartch and Tyler Shatley became even clearer.
Bartch took all of the first-team reps at left guard during last weekend's 16-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Shatley taking second-team reps at center after starting at guard the week before. This was the same set-up during Tuesday's practice, with Bartch again taking all of the first-team reps in the toned-down day.
The Jaguars started Taylor against the Steelers but were consistent in rotating him and Little throughout the game. This was the same case on Tuesday, with Little and Taylor seemingly again taking even reps with the first-teamers and Trevor Lawrence.
"I think there’s still some competition there, but as we get into more game weeks, say, Washington, it’ll be solidified, and whoever it is will be taking all the reps at that spot," Pederson said. "These next two days, the game, how much time they get, if any, is important for seeing who those five guys are going to be.”
Why Jake Luton was signed back to the roster
The Jaguars signed quarterback E.J. Perry last week as they released veteran quarterback Jake Luton. It was the second time Luton had been released by the Jaguars, with the first occurring after last year's training camp before he re-signed with the team this offseason.
Luton was added back to the roster for a third time on Tuesday, however, as the Jaguars signed the former sixth-round pick before they head to Atlanta. The addition of Luton gives the Jaguars four quarterbacks entering joint practices and the final preseason game, giving the Jaguars a chance to have two quarterbacks dress for the game in the event they don't want to play Trevor Lawrence or C.J. Beathard.
"Right now, too, with having C.J. (Beathard), I just want to get C.J. 100% healthy, it just looked and appeared on film that he wasn’t 100 percent healthy coming off his injury from the spring and this gives him time to get healthy," Pederson said. "And it’s a great opportunity for Jake to get some more time and be seen and get some more reps. Hopefully he can take advantage of that.”
The Jaguars will likely keep their third quarterback as a practice squad member, giving them one more chance to get a look at both Luton and Perry before they have to make the final decision.
Updates on Darious Williams, James Robinson and Devin Lloyd
The Jaguars will have a few injured players back on the practice field against the Falcons, with the chance of even seeing a much-anticipated debut from first-round rookie Devin Lloyd. The Jaguars won't have offensive lineman Will Richardson in Flowrey Branch, while James Robinson won't play on Saturday but will be on the practice field against the Falcons.
“He’s not full clear, but he’s cleared to practice. We plan to increase his reps," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said about Robinronson. "You’ll see an orange jersey on him. I spoke with (Falcons Head Coach) Arthur Smith earlier this morning about that, so they’ll be aware about him. Just try to limit the amount of touches."
"Darious Williams is full go, he’s been cleared for everything, so it will be exciting to get him out there. BT, Badara (Traore) is good to go. We’ll try to ramp up his reps throughout the course of the week. Devin (Lloyd), if the week progresses in his favor and our favor, he will see some time in this game which is what we need to see.”
The Jaguars then saw Williams take part in a complete practice for the first time in camp, with Williams spending time on the field at nickel cornerback during team drills. As for Lloyd, who has missed all of camp with a hamstring injury, Tuesday say the rookie spend the entire practice alongside Foyesade Oluokun at inside linebacker with the first-team defense.
Jaguars make a move to James McCourt
The Jaguars officially claimed former Illinois and Los Angeles Chargers kicker James McCourt on Tuesday afternoon, a move Pederson said would happen on Tuesday morning. The move came after Ryan Santoso was waived following a 2-of-4 performance against the Steelers on Saturday, giving the Jaguars a chance to get a look at McCourt against the Falcons.
McCourt spent six years at Illinois (2016-21), spending his first three seasons as a reserve before taking over as the primary kicker in 2019. He connected on 18 of 23 field goals in 2021, including tying a school record with four 50-plus yard field goals. He earned All-Big Ten Third-Team honors in 2021 and finished ninth in the nation in kickoff touchback percentage (82.4 percent).
"No, I thank Ryan for what he did. It’s unfortunate, but that’s a downside of the business. We put a claim in for McCourt—Illinois kicker. We’re trying to get him to Atlanta," Pederson said.
The Jaguars frequently pointed to Santoso's leg strength as a big plus to his skill set, and it appears that is the same hope and expectation they have for McCourt, who has a history of displaying a big leg.
"It’s impressive. That part of it we like, and obviously the consistency is what you look for in kickers, and it will be a good opportunity for him," Pederon said. "For us, just keep going through the process, we’ve still got a little bit of time before kicks mean something. It will be a good opportunity for him”
McCourt will be the fourth kicker the Jaguars will have had during training camp, and whether he is the answer remains to be seen as well. But Pederson doesn't appear overly concerned about what has, to this point, been the biggest question mark of his first Jaguars team.
"2017 we tried out six guys Week 1. Settled on Jake Elliot. He kicked all the way through to the Super Bowl, so I’ve had some experience there," Pederson said.
Trade for Cole Van Lanen creates interesting questions along the offensive line
The Jaguars made a move along the offensive line on Tuesday, releasing veteran guard Wes Martin and trading a late-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for Cole Van Lanen. Van Lanen, 24, has experience at both guard and tackle with the Green Bay Packers but mostly spent time at tackle with them during this year's training camp.
Van Lanen was a sixth-round pick in 2021, with Green Bay selecting him No. 214 after a long career at Wisconsin. He played in 45 games with the Badgers, making 19 starts at left tackle in his four seasons, with 18 of those starts coming over his final two seasons. He Earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference's coaches and second-team recognition from the media as a senior in 2020.
The question with Van Lanen is now where the Jaguars are set to utilize Van Lanen. He has experience at both guard and tackle, which are two spots the Jaguars need help at after their first-string. The Jaguars have their top-seven offensive linemen set in stone in Cam Robinson, Ben Bartch, Luke Fortner, Brandon Scherff, Jawaan Taylor, Walker Little, and Tyler Shatley. But beyond them, there have been issues in camp.
Will Richardson has guard/tackle experience but injured his ankle against the Browns and has been held out since, while players such as Martin, K.C. McDermott and Beau Benzschawel have struggled at times. The Jaguars could see Van Lanen as their eighth lineman, or they could view him as an upgrade to a backup interior that has struggled with injuries forcing some of them to move to tackle.
