TE Josh Oliver makes Ravens roster, Jags receive conditional pick

The terms of the trade with Baltimore gave Jacksonville a seventh-round pick if Oliver made the 53-man roster.

Jacksonville’s late-round picks in 2022 continue to pile up. Former Jags tight end Josh Oliver, who was traded to the Baltimore Ravens in March, made the team’s final 53-man roster. The terms of the trade granted the Jaguars a conditional seventh-round pick if Oliver made the Ravens, and after a standout preseason, he locked up a roster spot.

The Jags recently added sixth-round picks in deals for Sidney Jones IV and Gardner Minshew II, though the latter pick is conditional and could become a fifth-rounder if Minshew plays more than 50% of offensive snaps in three games this year for Philadelphia.

Oliver was expected to make the roster after totaling 13 catches for 91 yards in Baltimore’s three preseason games. The decision to trade him remains a bit puzzling from Jacksonville’s perspective, as the former third-round pick had missed most of his first two seasons with injuries. He’s a player with at least some potential, and considering the currently dire situation at tight end, he’s a guy that would have been nice to have around this offseason.

But what’s done is done, and Oliver will be suiting up for the Ravens this fall. Jacksonville will have to take the extra Day 3 pick as a consolation prize if Oliver works out in Baltimore.

Former Jaguars TE Josh Oliver impressing in the preseason with Baltimore

The Jags traded Oliver for a conditional seventh-rounder in March, but he’s been a standout for the Ravens in the preseason.

With tight end remaining a weakness on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ roster heading into the regular season, the decision to move on from Josh Oliver may come back to bite the team. The former third-round pick was traded to the Baltimore Ravens in March for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2022 after injuries severely limited impact in his first two seasons.

He’s been a major target for the Ravens in the preseason, as he has totaled 11 catches for 72 yards between the first two contests.

Oliver played in just four games as a rookie, making three catches for 15 yards, and he missed the entire 2020 season. The Jags quickly moved on from Oliver after hiring coach Urban Meyer, and that hasty move could be a mistake in hindsight if the current group struggles in 2021.

James O’Shaughnessy, the best pass-catcher the Jags have at tight end, missed the first game and wasn’t targeted in the second, while no one has really stood out between Chris Manhertz, Luke Farrell, Tyler Davis and Ben Ellefson.

Oliver’s success does have one upside for the Jaguars: If he makes the final roster in Baltimore, Jacksonville receives that seventh-round pick from the trade. But the team would likely rather have the production at tight end over a late Day 3 pick.

TE Josh Oliver placed on season-ending IR after foot surgery

Josh Oliver’s season is officially over as the Jags announced he’d be going on injured reserve Thursday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that tight end Josh Oliver was officially placed on injured reserve, ending his 2020 season. This news comes after it was revealed that he broke his foot earlier in the week and had surgery to repair it on Tuesday.

This is definitely a worrisome blow to the Jags’ offense as many were eager to see what Oliver could bring to Jay Gruden’s offense after being selected in the third-round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Last year, fans didn’t get to see a lot of Oliver as a rookie, either, as he missed all of the Jags’ preseason games and the Jags’ first six regular season games with a hamstring injury. He was limited to just four games when he returned as he sustained a back injury Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts, sending him to injured reserve for the season.

Now, it’s on veterans Tyler Eifert and James O’Shaughnessy to lead the way at tight end as the No. 1 and No. 2 players at the position, respectively. That may worry fans because Eifert has missed over 50 career games, while O’Shaughnessy is coming off an ACL tear.

The Jags also drafted rookie Tyler Davis in the sixth-round out of Georgia Tech. With Oliver now out of the picture for 2020, the rookie will now get more looks and it would be huge for him if he impressed in the process of camp.

Jags TE Josh Oliver suffers broken foot, surgery scheduled for Tuesday

Jags coach Doug Marrone shared some bad news with the media as Josh Oliver broke his foot Sunday in a non-contact drill.

Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Josh Oliver suffered a broken foot Sunday according to head coach Doug Marrone who met with the media Monday morning. This unfortunate news comes a year after he missed a majority of his rookie season, too, suffering a hamstring injury in camp and a back injury in the regular season.

Per Marrone, Oliver’s injury was a non-contact one and it occurred while he was simply running during practice. Marrone also announced that he’ll have surgery on Tuesday, but didn’t offer a time table on his return or discuss the severity.

Oliver was a player Marrone mentioned last week, stating that he was eager to see the second-year tight end’s development after he came into camp with a new and improved physique. He was set to help the Jags at a position that was considered a huge need to start the offseason, however, another veteran will now have to step up.

With Oliver set to miss the beginning of the season, the Jags have five tight ends on the roster still. Leading the way will be Tyler Eifert, who has injury concerns of his own (has missed 53 regular season games). However, it’s worth noting he participated in every game for the Cincinnati Bengals last season, and hopefully, that’s the case in 2020.

The team recently got James O’Shaughnessy back from the Active/Reserve list this month, too, after he tore his ACL last season against the Carolina Panthers (Week 5). But again, when looking at the positives, he was a favorite target of Gardner Minshew when healthy.

Behind the two veterans, the Jags have rookie sixth-round pick Tyler Davis, undrafted rookie Ben Ellefson, and second-year player Charles Jones. Of the three, Davis should be the one who benefits from Oliver’s absence the most, but only time will tell how the Jags move forward at the position.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

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TE Josh Oliver talks about his rookie season, says he’s been cleared to return from back injury

There was a great deal of buzz surrounding tight end Josh Oliver when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the third-round last year, but he unfortunately didn’t get to make a significant impact. A hamstring injury from training camp set him …

There was a great deal of buzz surrounding tight end Josh Oliver when the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the third-round last year, but he unfortunately didn’t get to make a significant impact. A hamstring injury from training camp set him back to start the regular season off, and four games into his return, a back injury sent him to injured reserve.

In the end, Oliver exited his rookie campaign with just three catches for 15 yards throughout those four games. Despite that, however, he believes he learned a lot during his rookie campaign and feels that it will help him tremendously heading forward.

“Definitely,” Oliver said to Jaguars.com when asked if he learned any lessons in 2019. “Just those four games, I feel like I improved – getting used to the speed of the game. I think those games were crucial for me just to get out on the field. I never got to go through the preseason. I never got to go through any of the games, so actually having NFL reps under my belt – I think that’s a huge thing going forward into Year Two. I know what to expect in a game. I know what to expect when we’re traveling. I have a good feel for what’s going on. The next step is just going out there and playing.”

The experience Oliver feels he received in a short amount of time is certainly a good thing for the Jags because they will need him to take a significant step in 2020. Not only have the Jags lacked a true threat at tight end for all of Dave Caldwell’s tenure as general manager, but it was painfully clear that quarterback Gardner Minshew needed a big threat up the middle in 2019. While the team did add veteran Tyler Eifert, he’s missed 53 regular season games out of 112. Simply put, that means there is a strong chance Oliver will be counted on as a No. 1 or No. 2 tight end at some point in the upcoming season.

As for the status of his health, Oliver said he has been cleared for a while now and is 100 percent.

“At the end of the [2019] season, I was cleared 100 percent,” Oliver said. “It was awesome [to get cleared]. I was eager. As soon as New Year’s happened, I went back to Southern California and started training with the people I trained with before the draft – and I worked with physical therapy on maintenance and stuff.”

With a clean bill of health and a new coordinator who loves to utilize the tight end position in Jay Gruden, things are likely to improve for Oliver. When looking at the production his comrades from the 2019 class had like Minshew and Josh Allen, fans should be confident that Oliver could pan out, too.

If the Jags spend big anywhere in free agency, it needs to be at TE

The Jags have had unfortunate luck at TE but this year they need to try and find an answer in free agency.

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell has been on record for saying fixing his team this offseason could be a quick fix, however, there are several hurdles in the way that makes fans think otherwise. Whether that’s fixing the cap situation or paying Yannick Ngakoue, fans have their doubts about Caldwell’s ability to make things work but those are easy fixes that I could see being resolved.

However, there is another hurdle that could be an even bigger threat to Caldwell’s future in Jacksonville that many seem to be overlooking: the team’s history at tight end.

To put it simply, the Jags have lacked star power at the position for almost a decade and the last time they’ve gotten noteworthy production there was 2012 when Marcedes Lewis hauled in 52 passes for 540 yards and four touchdowns. Two years prior he put together the best season of his career (and was named a Pro Bowler), racking up 58 catches for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns.

For the Jags, that lack of production isn’t a good thing in an era where having sound play at tight end is pivotal. That’s exactly why I listed the position as the Jags’ second-biggest need this offseason, and clearly, they will need to address it with a solid option in the coming months.

Jags interview Ben McAdoo for offensive coordinator job

The Jags have held at leas one interview so far for their OC opening per Ian Rapoport as Ben McAdoo paid the team a visit.

After mutually  parting ways with John DeFilippo Monday, the Jacksonville Jaguars finally have some news on their offensive coordinator search. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the team interview former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo for the opening.

McAdoo, 42, hasn’t been in the league since he was fired as the Giants’ coach in December of 2017 but has plenty of coaching experience in the league. His  first opportunities in the NFL came in New Orleans with the Saints (2014) where he was an offensive quality controls coach and in San Francisco with the 49ers (2005) where he had the same role and was an offensive line coach.

Afterward, he spent his next five seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ tight ends coach (2006-11) under current Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. From 2012-13, he became the team’s quarterbacks coach where he spent time coaching Aaron Rodgers. During that time, the two built a solid bond as Rodgers was on record for saying he appreciated the attention to detail McAdoo put into getting him prepared weekly.

In 2014, McAdoo found himself with the Giants after taking an offensive coordinator job for one season. After that, he was named the team’s head coach in 2016 after former Jags executive and head coach, Tom Coughlin, was fired.

Jags place TE Josh Oliver, DE Lerentee McCray on injured reserve

The Jags have placed both TE Josh Oliver and DE Lerentee McCray on injured reserve after both sustained injuries against the Colts.

The Jacksonville Jaguars went into their most recent game against the Indianapolis Colts relatively healthy but unfortunately loss two players for the rest of the season. The team announced that both tight end Josh Oliver and defensive end Lerentee McCray were placed on injured reserve with back and hamstring injuries, respectively.

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As we previously mentioned Monday afternoon, the Jags added veteran tight end Nick O’Leary to the roster with Oliver’s situation and practice squad tight end Charles Jones was promoted to fill McCray’s spot. The Jags also filled Jones practice squad spot with the signing of tight end Matt Sokol.

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Jones was signed as an undrafted rookie to the practice squad after the Jags made their final cuts. He played collegiately at Tulane where he garnered a career total of 61 catches for 460 yards and eight touchdowns.

As for Sokol, he previously signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as and undrafted rookie back in May out of Michigan State. While with the Spartans, he accumulated a career total of 31 catches for 348 yards and two touchdowns. He also participated in all four of the Chargers’ 2019 preseason games and hauled in a catch for 17 yards.

Report: Jags sign Nick O’Leary after injuries at TE position

The Jags sustained another big injury at tight end and has signed former Florida State TE Nick O’Leary.

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With the Jacksonville Jaguars taking several hits at the tight end position, the team has decided to bring in some help. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, they signed former Florida State alum Nick O’Leary Monday.

O’Leary, 27, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth-round of the 2015 NFL Draft and was with the team until 2018. Afterward, he was with the Miami Dolphins from September of 2018 to October of this year. While with both organizations, he managed to accumulate 44 catches for 596 yards and three touchdowns.

The Jags entered Week 11’s game with just two tight ends active in Josh Oliver and Ben Koyack. However, Seth DeValve was amongst the team’s inactives after sustaining an oblique injury in practice. To make matters worse, Oliver sustained the back injury mentioned by Rapoport while hauling in his only reception of the day.

Heading forward, it appears the Jags may be in a bind at the tight end position because they’ve simply had bad luck there. Earlier in the season, the team placed both Geoff Swaim and James O’Shaughnessy on injured reserve, and if Oliver has to join them, the Jags will be left relying on whatever free agent they can find down the road.