Practice Squad Days: Jaguars Players Discuss Life on the NFL Fringe
At the heart of any NFL practice squad, you will typically find a vast assortment of promising rookies — along with discarded young veterans fighting to stay in the league.
Though they operate in relative anonymity, these men play a vital role in game preparation throughout the week. They are tasked with emulating key members of the weekly opposition so closely, that they mirror even their slightest movements and tendencies.
Their sole focus: Prepare the starting units for what they can expect to see on game day.
They don’t have the job security that most draft picks have, or the tenure of a seasoned veteran. They aren’t even sure if they will be with their respective teams the following week. The ever-changing locker plates often serve as a harsh reminder that their jobs are essentially the NFL’s version of a revolving door.
It wasn’t long ago that many of these players were dominating the college level, in hopes of engineering their sustained success into a prosperous career at the next level. Now, they must approach each day like a job interview, displaying the best version of themselves in order to keep their NFL dreams alive — if only for another week.
JaguarMaven spoke to several members of the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad to get their perspectives on on what the life of an NFL practice squad member entails. Here are their stories:
Terry Godwin
Before he landed in Jacksonville -- or the NFL, for that matter -- wide receiver Terry Godwin was considered an emerging talent.
The former University of Georgia standout was coming off an impressive pre-draft showcase, after all, being named the East-West Shrine Game MVP after finishing the prestigious all-star game with four receptions, 80 yards, and two touchdowns. Stellar performances at the NFL Scouting Combine and Georgia’s pro day followed.
Though he was often overlooked by the surplus of supremely talented wide receivers throughout his four years in Athens, Godwin maximized his opportunities during the draft process. The 5-foot-11-inch, 185-pound wide receiver managed to parlay his success into conquering a lifelong dream; the Carolina Panthers selected him with the 237 overall pick in the seventh-round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Buried on the depth chart in Carolina, Godwin never really had a true shot at establishing a rapport with quarterback Cam Newton, and was subsequently waived prior to the regular season.
In the days that followed, Godwin spent his time flying to various workouts – in addition to tirelessly putting himself through workouts of his own -- waiting for the phone call that would allow him to continue his dream of playing in the NFL.
Merely ten days after his release from Carolina, Godwin had a new home. The former Panther was now a Jaguar.
“My agent called and told me,” Godwin recalled to JaguarMaven. “I had a workout with them [Jaguars] the previous week. When they called me, I was excited that I get a chance to continue my dream and my career, and to be out here learning from the older guys.”
While Godwin was technically back in the NFL, he wouldn’t be in uniform on game days, at least not right away. The slender wideout had signed to Jacksonville’s practice squad unit. As a member of the practice squad, Godwin is generally required to go through the same weekly routine as every member on the active roster.
“It depends on the day,” Godwin said. “Today, it started at nine o’clock with meetings. But usually Monday, Tuesday, we have workouts at eight in the morning, and Friday as well. Some days, our days are maybe an hour or two longer than the other guys, but that’s about it.”
The fluidity of an NFL practice squad leaves many players in limbo. At any moment, a player can be promoted, signed away by another team, or replaced. Just as quickly as they arrive in a new city and begin to settle in and forge relationships, they can be gone and on to their next team just as fast.
Refusing to get too far ahead of himself, Godwin is focused on living in the moment:
“I just go out there and take it a day at a time,” Godwin said. “Be blessed to wake up and get to play this game and be in an environment like this. So, I mean, why not go out there and have fun every day?”
Jordan Brown
Other players, like cornerback Jordan Brown, encounter countless roadblocks before finally finding a home.
Like Godwin, Brown too enjoyed a strong pre-draft process. The South Dakota State star burst onto the scene with inspired showings at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine. His tantalizing length and athleticism placed him squarely on NFL radars, but it was the Cincinnati Bengals that ultimately selected the former Jackrabbit with the 223 pick in the seventh-round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Jordan Brown at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine.
Stuck behind established veterans such as William Jackson, Dre Kirkpatrick, Darqueze Dennard and B.W. Webb throughout the summer, Brown’s opportunities to impress the Bengals’ coaching staff were extremely limited. Despite occasionally flashing the potential that got him drafted to begin with, Brown was caught in a numbers game, and was among the casualties in the final wave of cuts.
“Lot’s of learning for me,” Brown recalled to JaguarMaven. “Going to a new organization in Cincinnati, they drafted me, so coming there, [it was] a lot of learning. There was some veteran guys that helped me along the way, but it’s a big learning curve from college -- just how to be a pro and things like that. The NFL is a business and you have to know that at the end of the day. Your spot is never secured no matter who you are, so you have to come in every day to work.”
Brown then spent the next two months out of football, wondering when his next call would come. When he wasn’t working out, he was racking up the frequent-flyer miles, traveling to various NFL facilities across the country to workout for teams.
Though every opportunity seemed to lead him to a dead end, the feedback was good. The timing, not so much. Teams doing their due diligence either didn’t have the roster space to sign him, or had him on their short list of cornerbacks to call in case of injury. He’d gotten used to the familiar spiel: “We’ll be in touch”.
One afternoon, those words would eventually ring true, however. After a brief phone call from an unfamiliar area code, Brown learned he was headed to Jacksonville, Florida to continue his NFL journey.
“I was ecstatic,” Brown said. “The last two months, I’d been to eight different places for workouts – I actually worked out in Jacksonville two weeks ago. They said they’d give me a call back, and yesterday around two o’clock, they gave me a call and they said, ‘We want you to be on the practice squad.’ I was happy to have another opportunity in the NFL. It’s a blessing.”
Signing with a team this late in the season can put players at a disadvantage, however. Brown has already identified his biggest challenge:
“Learning the scheme,” he admitted. “I got here and I still have no clue what the scheme is right now. I’m trying to get as much learning as I can from the coaches and do the little things, watch film, things like that.”
Brian Price
The lone veteran on Jacksonville’s practice squad, Brian Price has seen it all.
The burly defensive tackle has been active for 22 games in his NFL career, has played for six different teams, been waived over a half-dozen times, and spent time on injured reserve on multiple occasions.
Price broke into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2016, on the heels of a productive career at Texas-San Antonio.
“My first NFL training camp was about four years ago in Green Bay,” Price fondly recalled to JaguarMaven. “The biggest takeaway for me in Green Bay was that it’s more than just strength. I was a big guy back in the day, I was like 330 [pounds], I was a big boy. I was trying to bull everybody."
“Another thing I took away from being a rookie, was that I should have had more fun,” Price continued. “I was so serious about everything, I didn’t laugh, I was always thinking about what the play was. I didn’t really take it day by day. I just had this goal for myself that I wanted to make money, I wanted to be able to be a staple in the league — I wanted to be a force to be reckoned with. My first year, I met some good friends, but I wish I’d taken it more day by day.”
Though he ultimately spent the majority of his rookie season on the Packers’ practice squad, Price appeared in one game as a rookie — an early-season divisional clash with the Detroit Lions. He bounced around the league after that, failing to stick around in any one city long enough to make an impact.
“When you go from team to team, you find the negative in it,” Price admitted. “Obviously, when you get fired from a job, it sucks. For so long, if you have that negative mindset, it can ultimately make you feel like s---. So, you gotta be able to laugh, you gotta be able to communicate with your team and your coaches.”
Now on his sixth team in four seasons, the 25-year-old will be experiencing game day from an unfamiliar place — the sideline. His experience, relentless effort and diligence in the film room are now an invaluable asset throughout the week. On the practice field, his job now entails perfecting a wide array of pass rush techniques to prepare guards Andrew Norwell and A.J. Cann for their game day duties.
“I was on my a-- for about two and a half weeks, I’d say,” Price said. “So, getting that call to come in here on the practice squad, you know, I wanted to be active — I’ve been active the past three years. But, this is an opportunity for me to actually play some ball, and hopefully work my way back to active again. For me, it was an opportunity for me to better myself, and hopefully contribute to the success of the Jacksonville Jaguars."
