Countdown to Jaguars Football: No. 94 and Who Has Donned it Best
In less than 100 days, Jacksonville Jaguars will return ... at least as things stand today.
While there is still some uncertainty surrounding the start to the NFL season, the league office has made it clear that they are planning to kick the season off on Sept. 10 and then have every other team play on Sept. 13.
By going off that timeline, we are now just 94 days from watching the Jaguars take the field against the Indianapolis Colts for the first regular season game of 2020.
In an effort to countdown to the start of the season, we will now be going from 95 through 1 to determine the best players to don the teal, black, and white for the Jaguars at each specific number. Yesterday, we tabbed Paul Spicer as the best to wear No. 95 in Jacksonville, but what about the next number?
So when considering each player has worn the No. 94 since Jacksonville's first season in 1995, who have been the most impactful? Since the team's inception, here are the players who have worn the jersey number:
- Dawuane Smoot: 2017-19
- Jeremy Mincey: 2006-08, 2010-13
- Jeremy Navarre: 2009
- Montavious Stanley: 2006
- Jim Davis: 2005-06
- Lionel Barnes: 2003-04
- Larry Smith: 1999-2002
- Kelvin Pritchett: 1995-98
This group features only a few players who spent extensive time with Jacksonville, though it also includes one current player who just had a breakout season for Jacksonville. So, who are our top three to ever wear No. 94 in Jacksonville?
No. 3: Dawuane Smoot
It was tough to not slot Dawuane Smoot at No. 2, though we will explain our reasoning later on. Regardless, Smoot is currently one of the most underrated players on Jacksonville's entire roster entering 2020, which is quite the turnaround from how his early career played out. A third-round pick in 2017, Smoot played in 24 games in his first two seasons but recorded zero sacks, 24 tackles, and just three tackles for loss. In the eyes of many, he was on the roster bubble entering the 2019 training camp.
But to his credit, Smoot took on the challenge in year three and transformed himself into a valuable piece of Jacksonville's defensive line rotation. Smoot spent time at both five-technique defensive end and inside as a defensive tackle during passing downs and it was along the interior where he found his greatest success. As a nickel interior rusher, Smoot recorded his first career sacks in 2019, ending the season with six sacks, six tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hits, all career highs. Smoot is now set to be a key figure for a Jaguars team with question marks surrounding bout its interior pass rush in 2020.
No. 2: Kelvin Pritchett
This spot was tough to figure out between Smoot and former veteran defensive tackle Kelvin Pritchett, but Pritchett gets the nod here due to the amount of time he impacted Jacksonville's defense as opposed to Smoot's lone productive season. A hulking presence inside, Pritchett spent four seasons with Jacksonville, playing in 52 games and starting 34 in the process, giving him 34 more career starts with the Jaguars than Smoot.
Pritchett didn't put up dominant numbers but he was a solid contributor for the early Jaguars teams, including starting all 16 games for the very first Jaguars team in 1995. In his Jacksonville tenure, Pritchett recorded 151 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and three fumble recoveries. He was never an upper-echelon player, but he was a semi-productive starter during Jacksonville's early years as an NFL franchise, which is worth remembering.
No. 1: Jeremy Mincey
Jeremy Mincey's tenure with Jacksonville may have ended on a somewhat sour note but for a brief stretch he was perhaps the team's best defensive lineman during an era where they simply failed to get to the quarterback enough. Playing in one of the worst periods of Jaguars football from a wins and losses perspective, there weren't many positives to take away from some of the teams Mincey played on during his nearly six years in Jacksonville.
Before the Jaguars cut Mincey in 2013, he played in 64 games for the team, starting 40 of those. During that span, Mincey recorded 144 tackles, 20 sacks, 32 tackles for loss, 45 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Mincey's 20 sacks are far from elite but considering how much Jacksonville struggled defensively during his peak, his impact is noteworthy. Today, Mincey is 13th in career sacks in Jacksonville history.
