Report: Jaguars Decline Taven Bryan's Fifth-Year Option
To little surprise, the Jacksonville Jaguars continued their streak of not picking up fifth-year options by declining 2018 first-rounder Taven Bryan's option on Monday, according to multiple reports.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler first reported the Jaguars declined the option on the former No. 29 overall pick, who the Jaguars infamously selected over Lamar Jackson following their run to the AFC Championship Game.B
Bryan is one of 10 first-rounders from 2018 whose teams declined to pick up their fifth-year options, joining quarterback Josh Rosen, Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny, Patriots running back Sony Michel, Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst, Bengals center Billy Price, Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, Titans linebacker Rashaan Evans, Vikings cornerback Mike Hughes, and Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds.
Bryan has been one of the biggest busts in recent Jaguars' history, which says something considering the franchise has more often than not made poor decisions in the NFL Draft in the past.
"Right now, our whole focus was on getting through the draft. So, once we get done with this, we’ll take a day to breathe and then we’ll put our heads back together and start working on future decisions," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said regarding Bryan on Saturday.
Bryan only started eight games last year after being benched for undrafted free agent Doug Costin. In 16 games, he recorded three tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, and six quarterback hits. This was the past regime washing their hands of him and dictating that they wouldn't end their tenures with him on the field. Now, the new regime led by head coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke must decide if is part of their plans.
"I don’t know that yet. We want him here," Meyer said Saturday when asked about the status of Bryan.
In 48 career games, Bryan has started 17 times and has recorded 71 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, and one forced fumble. The Jaguars have added multiple defensive linemen this offseason, signing Roy Robertson-Harris and trading for Malcom Brown, while also drafting USC defensive lineman Jay Tufele at No. 106 overall in Saturday's fourth round. Tufele will play three-technique in the team's defensive scheme.
"It was long, but I go back to the needs of this team. This team lost a lot of games last year. There’s a bunch of games they could’ve won. You look at the roster that has some very good core players, but there’s also some very significant weaknesses that you had to hit, and I think we hit them," Meyer said on Saturday.
"The one that was brought up, the tight end position, no, there’s still work to be done at that spot. We hit the three technique right at the end and hopefully he’s good enough and he comes in ready to go. I’m just pleased that we — it’d be a bad feeling if we started the draft with a bunch of holes and left the draft with a bunch of holes.”
