Jaguars sign QB Jake Luton to Reserve/Future contract

The Jaguars are bringing back Luton, who started three games in place of an injured Gardner Minshew in 2020.

Jake Luton is coming home.

The Jacksonville Jaguars shored up their quarterback depth on Friday morning by bringing Luton back on a Reserve/Future contract. The former Oregon State passer was a sixth-round pick for Jacksonville in 2020, and when starting quarterback Gardner Minshew went down with an injury, Luton saw some action down the stretch in addition to Mike Glennon as the team finished 1-15.

He started in three games as a rookie, completing 54.5% of his passes for 473 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions. He spent this offseason with the Jags but was released during final roster cuts on Aug. 31. He landed in Seattle, where he spent most of the regular season bouncing between the practice squad and the active roster when starter Russell Wilson was hurt.

Luton was released by the Seahawks on Nov. 15, and he finished the season on Miami’s practice squad. Now, he’s coming back to Jacksonville where he will aim to push C.J. Beathard for the backup spot behind Trevor Lawrence. The Jags likely won’t keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, but he could be a practice squad candidate if he can’t earn the No. 2 role.

Jags QB Jake Luton placed on Reserve/COVID-19 list

Second-year Jags QB Jake Luton was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday alongside Giants rookie Kadarius Toney, according to the NFL’s transaction wire. Their placement on the list are the first known positive cases of the 2021 NFL season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars placed quarterback Jake Luton on their Reserve/ COVID-19 list Thursday, according to the league’s transaction wire. As a result, the second-year player and New York Giants receiver Kadarius Toney registered the first known positive COVID-19 test cases of the 2021 season.

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It’s not known if Luton is one of the NFL’s vaccinated players, but back in late June, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler did report that the Jags were one of the teams that saw a spike in vaccination rate.

According to the memo sent out Thursday, vaccinated players who test positive and are asymptomatic will be allowed to return to work after two negative tests 24 hours apart. Meanwhile, unvaccinated players will be subject to a mandatory 10-day isolation period.

Luton was drafted by the Jags out of Oregon State last season in the sixth round (pick No. 189). With Gardner Minshew II missing time with a hand injury, Luton had to step in for three games (Week 8-10). He finished that stretch of games 60-of-110 (54.55%) for 624 yards, two passing touchdowns, and six picks.

Time will tell how long Luton is out, but the Jags’ veteran players are set to report to training camp on July 27, which is Tuesday of next week. The rookies reported two days ago and today’s news indicates that all of the first-year players are currently negative cases.

Jags to start veteran QB Mike Glennon vs. Browns

The Jags have benched Jake Luton in favor of veteran QB Mike Glennon as the team prepares for the Browns.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be enduring their third change at quarterback Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns as veteran Mike Glennon has been given the nod to start. Jags coach Doug Marrone made the announcement Wednesday morning as Gardner Minshew II continues to recover from a thumb injury.

Marrone’s decision comes after the Jags had to start rookie Jake Luton the past three weeks. He had a respectable game against the Houston Texans, but struggled against the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. He’ll now finish his three-start run with a 54.5% completion rate (60-of-110) for 624 yards, two touchdowns, and six picks.

Sunday’s start against the Browns will mark the 22nd of Glennon’s career. He entered the league in 2013 and has garnered a career completion percentage of 60.9% (488-of-801) for 5,163 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions.

Glennon was selected by the Tampa Bay Bucs in the 2013 NFL Draft as a third-round pick (No. 73 overall). Afterward, he spent time with the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals and Oakland Raiders, making Jacksonville his fifth stop.

Winners and losers from Jags’ Week 11 loss to Steelers

The Jacksonville Jaguars finish the week yet again with another tough loss, this time it comes in the form of an old rival against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The crowd of 17,244 at TIAA Bank Field were treated to a disappointing Sunday as the Jags …

The Jacksonville Jaguars finish the week yet again with another tough loss, this time it comes in the form of an old rival against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The crowd of 17,244 at TIAA Bank Field were treated to a disappointing Sunday as the Jags would fall to the Steelers by the score of 27-3. The Jags’ offense appeared to have never gotten out of first gear against one of the best defenses in the NFL.

While the Jaguars were losers of the game, there were a few bright spots to be seen against the Steelers. Here are the winners and losers of Week 11’s matchup:

Winner: Logan Cooke

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

It’s about time that everyone shows the punter a little love. The punter is a thankless position that only goes noticed when a bad punt happens, however, Jags punter Logan Cooke might have arguably been one of the better players on the staff.

Cooke finished Sunday’s game with six punts compiling an average of 54.0 per punt. His longest on the day was a booming 67-yard kick that was returned for only five yards. Cooke had two punts on the day that traveled 60 yards and three were returned within the Steelers 15-yard line.

The third-year punter of Mississippi State did a fine job with an offense that was struggling tremendously. At an unappreciated position, Cooke did his best to pin the Steelers’ offense deep inside their territory and he was successful at doing so.

Loser: Jake Luton

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Jake Luton hype train might have come to a screeching halt.

Luton wasn’t overly impressive Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers, going 18-of-35 for 169 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. He wasn’t able to improve that Sunday against the Steelers completing only 43% (16-of-37) of his passes for 151 yards and four picks. Needless to say, that didn’t lead to a high QBR and passer rating where he garnered figures of 12.3 and 15.5, respectively.

The moment was too big for Luton as he was affected by a dynamic Steelers’ pass-rush which came into the league as the NFL’s leader in sacks. While the offensive line only gave up two sacks on the day, Luton was hit by the defense seven times in the game, leading to his four interceptions.

The recent struggles could mean another quarterback switch as journeyman quarterback Mike Glennon is also on the Jags roster. Gardner Minshew II wasn’t 100% as of last week per coach Doug Marrone, but a return is possible for Week 13, too. Ultimately, the decision is on the staff, and time will tell on what direction they go.

Winner: James Robinson:

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

While the Jaguars’ offense has struggled tremendously at times, the one shining spark has been undrafted free agent rookie running back James Robinson.

Robinson has been the surprise of the year, coming into the game ranked fifth in rushing yards. He was up against a Steelers rush defense that ranked eighth Sunday but still found some success when given the ball, rushing for 73 yards with a 4.3 yard per carry average.

Robinson has established himself as one of the better pure runners in the league and the most consistent source of offense for the Jaguars. Against the Steelers, Robinson reached over 1,000 yards from scrimmage becoming only the fifth undrafted rookie in history to accomplish the feat.

Even with the Jags’ record, one could make a strong case for him receiving looks for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Heck, if he keeps up this level of production, the talented rookie could also get a lot of votes to be a Pro Bowler.

Loser: Tre Herndon

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Second-year cornerback Tre Herndon was tasked with a tough duty, guarding the extremely talented Steelers’ receivers. Sunday he was the main defender on Steelers’ wide receiver Diontae Johnson and Herndon struggled mightily.

Johnson finished Sunday’s game with a whopping 12 receptions for 111 yards with a receiving high of 23 yards as the Jaguars’ defense had no answer for him. While Herndon finished with seven tackles on the day, they came after already long gains from the Steelers’ receivers.

The third-year corner has been a liability in coverage all year registering a 48.5 grade according to Pro Football Focus. With the Jaguars facing a heavy shortage of cornerbacks due to injuries, Herndon looked to be outmatched as Pittsburgh’s receiving corps was too much to handle.

The good, bad, and ugly from the Jaguars’ 27-3 loss against the Steelers

There weren’t a lot of positives to take from the Jags’ loss to the Steelers as it mark yet another sign of the Jags’ struggles under Khan.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had yet another stinker Sunday, putting up just three points to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 27. The Jags’ only score would come on their first drive, which looked promising, but the Steelers eventually woke up on both sides of the ball.

The game was one where the Jags didn’t necessarily give up but simply couldn’t get much going, which has led to more negative talking points than positive. That said, here are the good, bad, and ugly moments from Sunday’s very lopsided loss:

Jaguars vs. Steelers: 3 keys to a Jacksonville victory

The Steelers are sporadic against the run, which is why James Robinson may give the Jags their best chance for a win.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be the latest team to try and end the Pittsburgh Steelers’ undefeated dreams this afternoon when the two teams face off at TIAA Bank Field. The fortunes of these two franchises could hardly be further apart in 2020 as both are on opposite ends of the NFL in terms success.

The Jaguars come into this one hoping to avoid their ninth-straight defeat (and owner Shad Khan’s 100th loss in less than a decade) whilst the Steelers are looking to make it a perfect 10-from-10 to start the season.

Despite the optics, things aren’t quite as desperate as they seem for Jacksonville. In the last two matchups, they’ve lost by six points or less and were in both games well into the fourth quarter. That includes a nail-biting loss to the 7-2 Green Bay Packers last weekend.

Victory isn’t out of the question today as the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback carousel nearly bested Pittsburgh last week, so rookie Jake Luton should be going into this game confident that a win is not off the table. Of course, luck will have to be on the Jaguars side, but here are three keys to a possible Jaguars upset:

James Robinson is really good, folks

Not only is James Robinson a sensational talent, the Steelers’ pass-rush is better. The best thing the Jaguars can do is give the ball to Robinson and watch him work. The fewer dropbacks for Luton the better.

Most would anticipate that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is going to set his team up to make the rookie quarterback have to beat him, but if the Jaguars’ offensive line can successfully pave lanes, Jacksonville’s chances are better. If they do their part, Robinson is going to be the one to benefit from it as the Jags are without Chris Thompson and Laviska Shenault Jr. this week.

While that’s a lot of pressure, it seems like this young man has the nerves for it. That’s just another reason to put the game in his hands and see if he can recreate the success fans witness greats like Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew have against Pittsburgh.

Stop the explosive plays on defense

As previously mentioned, the Jags’ last two losses were by six points or less, but a key to those losses are the fact that they’ve given up a touchdown of 70-yards or more in both individual games. Things have improved defensively coming out of the bye week, but Todd Wash simply must find a way to limit the explosive plays from Pittsburgh’s offense.

This was always going to be a difficult task as the Steelers’ offense boasts human highlight reels Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Simply put, both are more than capable of taking the tops off opposing defenses, or turning catches upfield and making blockbuster plays.

Things are going to be that much harder this week as the Jaguars will go into this game without their two best defensive backs. Rookie C.J. Henderson has been placed on injured reserve with a groin problem, whilst surprise-star Sidney Jones IV was ruled inactive for the game. Not having both certainly spells trouble for the Jags’ passing defense, which was already the league’s third-worst group.

Win the turnover battle

Only two times this season have the Jaguars won the turnover battle in 2020. The first game in which they did it was Week 1 against the Colts in their only win and the second instance was last week against the Packers. That, of course, was the key to the Jags being in the game late against Aaron Rodgers and company.

Turnovers are always a crucial part of any football game, but rarely do a team’s turnovers share such a direct resemblance to their record. Jacksonville has lost every game this season in which they’ve turned the ball over in 2020. So given Pittsburgh’s talent on both sides of the ball, the Jaguars simply cannot afford to cough up possession.

On the other side of the ball, Wash will have his hands full. He’ll be looking to become the first defensive coordinator in three weeks to get the Steelers’ offense to commit a turnover. If he can achieve the feat, it could help tremendously if the game is a close one.

3 bold predictions for Steelers vs. Jags

The Jags might not win Week 11’s game against the Steelers, but their offense I made to have success against Pittsburgh with James Robinson.

With them being established in 1995, the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8) don’t have the history that other NFL teams do, but one team they’ve had some classic moments with are the Pittsburgh Steelers (9-0). As a result, they’ve established one of the league’s most underrated rivalries and will get to add the next chapter Sunday.

To the surprise of many, the Jags actually own this rivalry record-wise by a slim 14-12 margin, but the Steelers’ chances of closing that Sunday are high. At the same time, the Jags are one of the more dangerous one-win teams fans will find, and for that reason, the Steelers are on upset alert.

While we don’t believe an upset will be the result of Week 11’s game, it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. Regardless of the outcome though, here are a few bold predictions we could see unfolding in the Jags’ favor Sunday afternoon:

James Robinson snags a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown

Jaguars running backs have had their share of success against the Steelers, whether it was Fred Taylor in his youth or Maurice Jones-Drew who hurt them both on the ground and on special teams. Unfortunately, neither will suit up against the Steelers Sunday but a young ascending star named James Robinson will.

The undrafted rookie will come into the game leading all rookies in terms of scrimmage yards with 917, which is also good for the fourth-highest total in the NFL. That means he needs 83 yards to hit 1,000, which would make him the fifth undrafted rookie to do so in the common draft era. Although he may not have a 100-yard day rushing, chances are he will be able to hit the 83-yard mark when looking at his total scrimmage yard. In fact, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him get 100 total scrimmage yards, but with that, I think he helps fellow rookie Jake Luton by contributing a rushing touchdown and receiving one.

D.J. Chark explodes on the Steelers for 150 yards or more

While Luton is going up against a Steelers defense that ranks No. 6 overall and tenth against the pass, a solid day going deep to D.J. Chark shouldn’t be ruled out for the rookie. The main reasons for that is because we’ve seen the two connect deep early in Luton’s tenure and the Steelers have allowed two pass-catchers to register over 150 receiving yards on them this season. Those players are A.J. Brown of the Tennessee Titans and Travis Fulgham of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Chark is just as talented as both of those players with a Pro Football Focus grade of 74.0 and he’ll be up against two perimeter corners in Joe Hayden and Steven Nelson who have grades of 62.5 and 69.7, respectfully. That said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him snag a few deep receptions as it may be Luton’s short-range accuracy that is the issue.

The Jags’ linebacking corps garners two turnovers

When it comes to garnering turnovers, the Jags linebacking corps may be the key. We’ve witnessed Myles Jack pick off Ben Roethlisberger in the past and the young linebacker is now a much better player. He’ll enter the game with the third-highest PFF grade at his position (85.7) and is playing at an All-Pro level this season. That’s partly due to having a coverage grade of 76.8, which could mean he’ll snag one against Roethlisberger, who has garnered a lot of wins in Jacksonville but has also thrown his share of picks against the Jags.

Another player whois quite familiar with Roethlisberger is MIKE linebacker Joe Schobert, who spent four seasons in the AFC North. In fact, just last year Schobert had a two-interception game against the Steelers, though it came while Mason Rudolph was the quarterback. Still, with him understanding Roethlisberger’s tendencies, don’t be shocked if he can snag a pick or force a fumble against a team he’s registered six starts against.

Will the Steelers-Jaguars Week 11 game be on TV in your area?

The Jags and Steelers game will be widely televised on the east coast this Sunday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will get a crack at the league’s lone undefeated team in the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will travel to North Florida this Sunday. While both are no longer in the same division, the meeting will mark a rivalry game that has a bit of interesting history behind it.

The Jags will come into this game with the second-worst record in football (1-8), but despite that many Pittsburgh Steelers fans are on high alert. That anxiety is certainly justified when considering the Jags lead the all-time series by a narrow 14-12 margin. Additionally, the last two games between both teams were decided by margins of four (2018) and three (2017 playoffs).

This will be another 1:00 pm EST kickoff for the Jags. Per 506 Sports, those who live in the blue shaded areas will be able to see the game.

Calling the game this week will be Ian Eagle (play-by-play) and Charles Davis (color commentator) for Sunday’s game at TIAA Bank Field.

While Steelers fans may come into this one a bit nervous, the Jags will have an uphill battle on their hands. They will come into the game without several key players, including quarterback Gardner Minshew II. That will put sixth-round rookie Jake Luton in a situation where he will be up against the No. 6 ranked defense in just his third start.

The Jags also could be without starting cornerback Sidney Jones IV (Achilles), who was ruled questionable on the final injury report. If he can’t go, that would put the Jags in a situation where both of their top-2 corners would be out as C.J. Henderson was placed on injured reserve this week.

Listen: Jags Wire joins 93.7 FM The Fan to talk Steelers vs. Jags

Jags Wire’s James Johnson and Mike Koll of 93.7 FM The Fan previewed the state of the Jags as they get ready for the Steelers Week 11.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers may be on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to winning, but history says their matchup Week 11 could be a close one. In fact, their last two meetings have been decided by no more than four points.

To discuss the Jags’ outlook heading into Sunday, we joined 93.7 FM The Fan’s “Early Morning Show” to talk about a variety of key topics. Those topics included some concerns Pittsburgh should have when looking at the Jags, the emergence of James Robinson, some key Jags players on defense, plus more.

To hear it all, simply click on he link below.

The good, bad, and ugly from the Jaguars’ 24-20 loss against the Packers

The Jags got solid contributions from their special teams, but their struggles to stop explosive plays still surfaced against the Packers.

For the third-straight game the Jacksonville Jaguars have stayed competitive late into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, against the Green Bay Packers this squad wasn’t able to put together a game-winning drive. Despite another loss this was arguably their strongest performance since opening weekend.

Looking back on this game the team will understand they need to improve across all three phases of play, but it seems the coaches will enjoy watching the game tape a little more as we get deeper into the season.

In the wake of yet another loss, here are the good, bad and the ugly from the latest Jaguars defeat:

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The good: Special teams love

There could be a whole host of shoutouts here as James Robinson was spectacular again, and rookie Davon Hamilton is quickly out-performing his overall selection figure. When taking the help both rookies provided into account, it’s easy to overlook the impact that special teams had so I’ll show them some love here.

The tribulations at the kicking position have been well documented, but Chase McLaughlin came out and kicked 100% on a pair of field goals and extra points. His special teams comrade, Logan Cooke, also came out and ripped the ball through the windy Wisconsin air. In fact, three of Cooke’s punts from Sunday afternoon finished inside the 10-yard line, one of which was even inside the Packers’ 3-yard line.

Special teams highlights weren’t just limited to the kicking/punting this week,  though. Receiver Keelan Cole peeled off for a franchise record 91-yard punt return touchdown, which kept the Jaguars in the game in the first half. All in all Sunday was a phenomenal day for the special teams unit and plenty to make Joe DeCamillis happy.

Mandatory credit: Dan Powers/USA TODAY

The bad: Big play defense

For the second-straight week, the Jaguars have given up a touchdown of 70 yards or more. This week it was Sidney Jones IV, who got beaten by Marquez Valdes-Scantling at the start of the second quarter.

The Jaguars’ defense came to play this week, limiting the Packers to just 51 yards and 0 points in the first quarter. However, their momentum began to slip away as the team gave up the huge touchdown strike in the opening play of the second period. If the team is to win any of the tough slate of games toward the end of 2020, they need to keep the ball in front of them much better than they have been.

Mandatory Credit: Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK

The ugly: That two-minute drill

Lets not say too much about it, but whoosh. Rookie quarterback Jake Luton had a wobbly start to the game, but still managed to find his feet and lead three scoring drives as the Jaguars hung around far longer than anyone expected them to. In fact, the sixth-round rookie had the opportunity to lead his team downfield and win in Green Bay in only his second career start.

Unfortunately, the drive stalled out in ugly fashion. Luton went 1-of-4 for eight yards and two disappointing sacks. Still, the game was largely enjoyable for Jacksonville fans, especially those who want the team to draft Justin Fields.