Rebuilding Jaguars Awarded Seven Players Off Waivers
JACKSONVILLE (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars planned to scour the waiver wire this weekend.
They ended up doing some wholesale salvaging.
The Jaguars were awarded seven players off waivers Sunday, a clear indication the rebuilding team lacks depth.
Jacksonville picked up receiver Stephen Burton (Minnesota), defensive back Winston Guy (Seattle), tight end Clay Harbor (Philadelphia), guard Jacques McClendon (Atlanta), linebacker Chris McCoy (Philadelphia), linebacker J.T. Thomas (Chicago) and tight end D.J. Williams (Green Bay).
To make room for the new additions, the team cut safety Antwon Blake, tight end Brett Brackett, guard/center Dan Gerberry, defensive tackle Kyle Love, fullback Lonnie Pryor, receiver Jordan Shipley and linebacker Andy Studebaker — all guys who seemingly made the 53-man roster Friday.
General manager Dave Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley said repeatedly they plan to continually adjust the bottom part of the roster, hoping to find a few players who would fit Jacksonville's scheme or maybe turn things around with a change of scenery.
So this was just the latest of several waves of moves.
"The mindset we had going into this was that we could really take advantage of this (No. 2) waiver spot and hope that we're not here in the future," Caldwell said. "And we could really put a premium on speed and athleticism to really help our special teams and give us some depth, players we can develop in the future. A lot of these players that we claimed are young players that have a specific trait our coaching staff can develop."
The Jaguars also signed seven to the practice squad: cornerback Marcus Burley, defensive end Ryan Davis, quarterback Matt Scott, receiver Jeremy Ebert, guard Drew Nowak, receiver Tobais Palmer and safety Steven Terrell. All seven were with Jacksonville for training camp.
Burton was a seventh-round draft pick by the Vikings in 2011. He played in 15 games over two seasons, catching seven passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Guy, a sixth-round pick by the Seahawks in 2012, played in two games last season.
Harbor was a fourth-pick by the Eagles in 2010. He played in 39 games over three seasons, catching 47 passes for 421 yards and four touchdowns.
McClendon, a fourth-round pick by the Colts in 2010, also spent time with Detroit, Pittsburgh and Atlanta. He played in four games for the Colts as a rookie.
McCoy, a seventh-round pick by Miami in 2010, also spent time with Houston, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as well as Calgary of the Canadian Football League. He was with Calgary the past two seasons, registering five sacks. He spent this offseason with Philadelphia. He has not been active for any NFL regular-season game.
Thomas, a sixth-round pick by Chicago in 2011, played in 16 games last season and recorded five tackles.
Williams, a fifth-round pick by Green Bay in 2011, has nine receptions for 70 yards in two seasons. He is considered more of a receiving tight end than a blocker.
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