Jacksonville Jaguars bring back Ben Koyack, a familiar face who "knows the system", to help banged up TE group

In maybe the least surprising personnel move of the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars have brought fifth-year tight end Ben Koyack back into the fold in Duval.

Why? Because Koyack has been here before and knows what the Jaguars coaching staff is looking for.

“I think we just feel comfortable. Ben’s [Koyack] been here, so we’re comfortable. He knows the system," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said Wednesday.

Koyack was announced as an active roster signing Wednesday after Jaguars top tight end James O'Shaughnessy was placed on injured reserve following a torn ACL vs. the Carolina Panthers. Koyack was released by the team on Sept. 1 when the team picked up Seth DeValve, but he has a notable history with the team.

Koyack caught 24 passes for 199 yards from 2015-2018 but was on the receiving end of one of the most notable Jaguars plays of the decade, catching the team's lone touchdown in a 10-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the opening round of the 2017 NFL Playoffs.

While Koyack has not been with a team since the Jaguars cut him following the 2019 training camp, Marrone thinks he is still ready to step into the offense right away. This is likely a big reason the team opted to sign Koyack instead of any other available tight end.

After losing TE James O’Shaughnessy (ACL), #Jaguars worked out TEs Will Tye, Eric Tomlinson, Brian Parker.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) October 8, 2019

"He can come in and go right away. We’ll just see how he looks. He’s in shape. He’s ready to go. He’s stayed prepared," Marrone said. "Obviously, he’s worked out for other teams and we’re fortunate enough that we were able to get him back and in a time where we lost a player for the year who was really doing a nice job for us.”

As for the status of the Jaguars two injured tight ends in O'Shaughnessy and rookie Josh Oliver, who has battled a hamstring injury, Marrone addressed those situations as well.

“I do not know that. I don’t think so," Marrone said Wednesday when asked if O'Shaughnessy had surgery on his ACL yet. "I think you’re waiting for the swelling to go down.”

As for Oliver, the rookie was limited in Wednesday's practice. He has missed every game this season with a hamstring injury he suffered on Aug. 2. It is not clear if Oliver will be able to make his NFL debut against the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday, but he was at least on the practice field on Wednesday.

“He’ll be out there today. And I think it’s the same as with Jalen [Ramsey], we’re just taking it step-by-step. We expect he’ll go out there, stretch, see how he feels in individuals, see how he feels. And then go into working some team stuff, some scout team stuff first before we get them over to the other side," Marrone said.