Countdown to Jaguars Football: No. 62 and Who Has Donned it Best
In fewer than 100 days, Jacksonville Jaguars will return ... at least as things stand today.
While there is still some uncertainty surrounding the start of 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 62 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.
So when considering each player has worn the No. 62 since Jacksonville's first season in 1995, who has been the most impactful? Since the team's inception, here are the players who have worn the jersey number:
- John Estes: 2011
- Dennis Norman: 2004-08
- Ben Coleman: 1995-99
Since there are only three players on this list who have worn the number, there are only those players to choose from. With that said, we can still revisit the tenure of each's impact on the Jaguars during their tenure.
3) John Estes
An offensive line coach for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL last year, John Estes is a former interior lineman who signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted free agent in 2010 following a college career at Hawaii. Estes spent three seasons with the team but appeared in just two games, each of those coming in 2011.
2) Dennis Norman
A seventh-round pick out of Princeton for the Seattle Seahawks in 2001, Dennis Norman signed with the Jaguars in 2005. Norman went on to be a key contributor for the Jaguars up front, appearing in 16 games in three of his four seasons and in 15 games in the other season.
Over his four-year tenure, Norman appeared in 63 regular season games and started in 24 of those, with 14 starts coming in 2008. Norman also appeared in three playoff games for the Jaguars, including a start against the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round. Norman got a contract extension after the 2006 season, a strong sign of how important of a depth piece he was during his time with the Jaguars.
1) Ben Coleman
A member of the first team in Jaguars history, Ben Coleman was a second-round pick for the Cardinals in 1993 who was claimed by Jacksonville on waivers during the 1995 season. Coleman went on to become a key piece of the early Jaguars offensive line's, a period which saw him start at both left guard and left tackle.
Over the next four full seasons, Coleman appeared in 64 regular season games and started 60 of those games, making him one of the most experienced players of the first few Jaguars teams. Aside from his extensive experience in the regular season, Coleman saw the field plenty of times in January. During his Jaguars tenure, he started in eight playoff games, a period in which the Jaguars went 4-4.
