How Jaguars UDFAs Made Their Mark on James Gladstone

The Jacksonville Jaguars' 53-man roster is set for the 2025 regular season as the preparation begins for the season opener against the Carolina Panthers in over 10 days. The team has taken a unique approach to the late summer additions, moving players around in a way not seen in the franchise's history, with multiple trades and acquisitions.

One of the best parts of Tuesday's roster cutdown was the news of two undrafted free agent defenders making their presence known in the preseason to earn a spot on the roster. While their future roles are unclear, general manager James Gladstone explained their development throughout the summer and training camp.

B.J. Green II and Danny Striggow's growth

It is always a great feeling when an NFL team can find potential gems from undrafted free agency. For most of the offseason, Gladstone has harped about players who are "intangibly rich," someone with the smarts, toughness, and drive for the game. Green and Striggow, formerly of Colorado and Minnesota, respectively, have seemingly provided that for the Jaguars this summer.

What has driven Gladstone in his current approach is his time with the Los Angeles Rams, where they took great pride in the UDFA process. He is implementing that approach in Jacksonville and has been helped by position coaches and head coach Liam Coen, who was familiar with the process during his time in Los Angeles.

nfl — Aug 23, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Erik Ezukanma (84) runs with the football against Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end BJ Green II (95) during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

"Got to give a lot of credit to our position coach and also our scouting staff, who were paired together to sign those two guys after the draft, identify those two guys as the highest priority of the position because we didn't draft anybody at the position group. Obviously, at the time, that was something that in the recruitment efforts was intriguing to both those guys," Gladstone said. "They saw a path to potentially find a spot. Obviously, that's been earned."

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone spins a football in his hand after the Jacksonville Jaguars’ third mandatory minicamp Thursday June 12, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars did come under some questioning for their lack of attention to the defensive line overall in the initial post-draft process. However, Gladstone took the approach of how they constructed the group as a whole, along with the veteran additions of Emmanuel Ogbah and Dawuane Smoot as edge rushers. Gladstone called it "pretty cool" to see the position groups unfold throughout the long summer months.

And in addition, you talk about the basketball team of the wide receiver group being different genres, sometimes it's pretty cool to look at how a position is constructed in that at the defensive end position, we have two guys that were top 10 picks. We didn't draft anybody," Gladstone said. "We ended up signing a few guys as undrafted college free agents, two of which end up making the 53-man roster as rookies.

"Then you've got two veteran presence in Emmanuel Ogbah and Dawuane Smoot, who we signed after the draft. So it's a makeup of a room that is coming from all different forms of acquisition, and it's pretty cool to see that take shape and people earn their (opportunities) and earn their place."

Gladstone noted how clear it was that Green and Striggow were making an impact during the preseason in live action on both defense and special teams. He discussed how hard it is to find players at their position who can contribute on special teams, saying the two are "made of the right stuff."

"They committed themselves to the process, accepted the coaching, and it's panned out. Excited for both those guys," Gladstone said. "Excited for that room and really the outlook there, and really happy with how it unfolded, pointing back to our coaches and scouts working in tandem to really get those deals done."

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