Which Cut Players Make Sense for the Jaguars to Consider on the Waiver Wire?
At 12 p.m. eastern, the NFL's unofficial "second draft" will take place as all 32 teams look at the waiver wire and hope to improve their team by putting in claims on the rest of the league's cut players.
For the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team whose initial 53-man roster has 16 rookies (over 30% of the roster), the waiver wire presents a chance to improve at several positions they make lack depth at. The team made four waiver wire additions last year, with Devine Ozigbo the most notable, and more should be expected today.
So, which players would make sense for the Jaguars to claim? For reference, only players with less than four years' experience in the NFL are subject to waiver claims by other teams. If a player goes unclaimed in the 24-hour period, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
QB Josh Rosen
Things have not exactly gone well for Josh Rosen since he was selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He got only one year with the Arizona Cardinals before the team jettisoned him to the Miami Dolphins in favor of selecting Kyler Murray No. 1 overall, and Miami then opted to waive the third-year quarterback this year.
Rosen hasn't shown much to make team's think he can be a long-term starter (career 54.8 completion % and 4.4 yards per pass attempt), but there is enough natural talent with him to make it worthwhile for a team to stash him and continue to develop as a backup passer. The Jaguars currently have just two quarterbacks on their roster in Gardner Minshew and Jake Luton, and while Rosen would be the No. 3 QB in this scenario, he still makes sense for the Jaguars since he has more upside than Mike Glennon and Josh Dobbs, the two quarterbacks the Jaguars waived yesterday. The Jaguars could still want to go with two quarterbacks this season instead of three, but if they want to add an extra arm than Rosen is the best option.
CB Sidney Jones
With four of their six cornerbacks currently rookies, the Jaguars have maybe the youngest cornerback room they have had in franchise history to open a season. The Jaguars tried to find veteran depth at every turn this offseason, but ultimately none of their attempts were either successful or were sustainable, with Tramaine Brock being the lone veteran corner signed but then placed on injured reserve.
A second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Sidney Jones was known coming out of Washington for his impeccable physical traits and ability to play the ball in the air. Jones' three seasons with the Eagles were largely a failure, however, with the talented corner playing in just 22 games and recording two interceptions in three seasons. He has to shake the injury-prone label, but he has enough talent for the Jaguars to at least consider.
RB Dare Ogunbowale
Jacksonville has three active running backs (plus fullback Bruce Miller) on their active roster due to Ryquell Armstead being on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. While the Jaguars like the three backs on their roster, it is clear the team is interested in adding another player after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Devonta Freeman was visiting with the team.
One option that would make sense is Dare Ogunbowale, who Tampa Bay just waived in order to make room for Leonard Fournette. Ogunbowale has a ton of special teams value, can return kicks and caught 35 passes for 286 yards in a reserve role last season. He seems like Jay Gruden's type of back and would compliment Devine Ozigbo and James Robinson well.
OG Ross Pierschbacher
A former draft pick from Washington while Jay Gruden was still the team, Ross Pierschbacher was selected in the fifth-round (No. 153 overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft but was released by the team after just one season. Pierschbacher appeared in just five games with zero starts last season, but Gruden knows him and his skill set well enough to know how he would fit in Jacksonville and in his scheme.
Jacksonville currently has just eight offensive linemen on the roster after carrying nine in most years. They need an offensive tackle more than an interior lineman, but Pierschbacher is still the most logical fit due to his history with Gruden.
LB Shaquem Griffin
A player the Jaguars were reportedly high on in 2018, Shaquem Griffin was a surprise cut by the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. The former UCF star linebacker struggled to find a position at the start of his NFL career, but he eventually flashed in a pass-rushing/strong side linebacker hybrid role.
Griffin lacks size and production (one career sack, which came in last year's postseason) but he has been extremely durable throughout his career by not missing a single game since he was drafted. He has an ideal skill set for a backup pass-rusher off of the edge, and is similar to Jaguars defender Cassius Marsh in a lot of ways. With Quincy Williams likely heading to injured reserve, Griffin would be an interesting add.
TE Jordan Franks
Franks only caught two passes for 37 yards as a rookie with the Cincinnati Bengals in his rookie season in 2018, but he flashed in each of the last two preseason before the preseason was canceled this year. Franks has the athleticism at tight end to provide a similar dimension to the Jaguars' offense that they lost when Josh Oliver when on injured reserve. Franks has the speed and size to be an interesting high-ceiling option, especially if the Jaguars think they can get by without a full back on their roster.
DT Benito Jones
A player the Jaguars met with before the 2020 NFL Draft, Benito Jones has a solid skill set for nose tackle but had a poor draft process. Jones is a stout defensive tackle (6-foot-1, 316-pounds) who has the skill set to make an impact on the interior of the defense line vs. both the run and the pass. His ceiling is limited, but he fits the mold of a rotational one-technique, much like Dontavius Russell was last season.
DT Robert Windsor
A sixth-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts this past April, Windsor is another run-defending interior defensive lineman who could fill a rotational role as he develops. Windsor would earn Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2018, and then was Third-Team All-Big Ten as a redshirt senior in 2019 and frankly it was a little surprising to see him drafted as late as he was due to his size and college production. Jacksonville is less than deep at the three-technique position right now, so Windsor merits a look.
CB Chris Westry
A former undrafted free agent from Kentucky, Chris Westry is one of the highest-ceiling cornerbacks to come through the NFL in the last couple of seasons. The 6-foot-4 cornerback posted a 38-inch vertical and ran an unofficial 4.31-second 40-yard dash at his pro day in 2019, making it clear he has all of the physical traits teams covet in cornerbacks, especially the Jaguars. He has length, size and speed for days, and the Jaguars are in a position at least consider high-ceiling options due to the state of the roster.
