Jags place punter Logan Cooke on injured reserve

The Jags already lost one of the league’s best specialists in Jamal Agnew, and now they will be without punter Logan Cooke for the rest of the season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were already without one of their best special teams players in receiver and returner Jamal Agnew, and heading forward, they will be without another specialist with Pro Bowl potential in Logan Cooke. On Tuesday, the team placed him on injured reserve due to a right knee injury, which means his 2021 season has come to an end.

There were some concerns for Cooke’s situation entering this week as Jags interim coach Darrell Bevell said he’d be out for an unknown amount of time. However, after further evaluating the injury, the Jags just decided to place him on IR a day later.

“So, we will not have him,” Bevell said on Monday. “He’s in jeopardy of missing a game.”

Cooke went to Twitter to express that he hated that the season ended on such a bad note, but said he appreciated the fanbase and was looking forward to 2022.

Cooke ended his season with 64 punts and had a 47.3 net average. Overall he punted for a total of 3,026 yards and his longest went for 68 yards.

Jaguars extend punter Logan Cooke

The Jags continued to make moves this weekend, but on Saturday, they elected to focus on a player from the 2020 roster.

The free agency period isn’t solely about bringing in players from other teams but is also about extending some who’ve outplayed their current contracts. That’s what the Jacksonville Jaguars were thinking this weekend as they announced that punter Logan Cooke was extended

Per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the deal was a four-year extension worth $12 million.

Cooke, 25, was drafted by the Jags in the seventh round (No. 247 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State. Due to the Jags struggling on offense over recent times, he’s seen the field often and has been one of the league’s better punters in the process.

Since joining the Jags, Cooke has accumulated 217 punts and has garnered a 42.9 net punting average, good for the highest figure in Jags history. That is good for fourth in the NFL currently when looking at averages since he was drafted.

Extending Cooke locks up the young punter, who is a part of one of the better special teams units in football when considering the accuracy of kicker Josh Lambo, too. With Urban Meyer now running the show, the group could make a big leap in 2021 as he’s been huge on special teams performance throughout his career.

Jags activate punter Logan Cooke of Reserve/Covid-19

Logan Cooke appears to be on his way back to the Jags’ roster after missing time on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

After missing their last two games, the Jacksonville Jaguars have activated punter Logan Cooke off of their Reserve/ COVID-19 list, which points to him resuming his duties Week 17. His return comes as the Jags are preparing for their season finale against the Indianapolis Colts.

Cooke didn’t surface on Week 15’s injury report but missed their trip to Baltimore with what the team labeled as an illness. As a result, the Jags had to abruptly let kicker Aldrick Rosas handle the duties at punter. He registered three punts on the day and averaged 36.7 yards a punt.

Afterward, the Jags signed veteran punter Dustin Colquitt for Week 16’s home game against the Chicago Bears. In his Jags debut, Colquitt registered six punts for 272 yards, which was good for an average of 45.3 yards per punt.

When the Jags placed Cooke on Reserve/ COVID-19 on Dec. 22, they also signed Cameron Nizialek to their practice squad.

Cooke will return to the roster after putting together a pretty solid season where he’s averaged 47.6 yards per punt in 2020. He’s also pinned teams within the 10-yard line or less 11 times this season, which is a total that is good for second in the league.

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

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

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’ 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.

Calais Campbell headed to third consecutive Pro Bowl

Calais Campbell will represent the Jags for the third straight time in the Pro Bowl.

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Calais Campbell will be heading to his third consecutive Pro Bowl.

With the league announcing its 2019 Pro Bowl rosters for the AFC and NFC Tuesday, the Jags announced that Campbell was their lone nominee (for now) to make the initial team. The Jags also announced that five players made the cut as alternates, including placekicker Josh Lambo (first alternate), tailback Leonard Fournette (second alternate), pass rusher Josh Allen (second alternate), punter Logan Cooke (third alternate) and receiver DJ Chark Jr. (third alternate).

So far this season Campbell has been able to register 53 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. He’s also found himself as one of Pro Football Focus top graded defensive lineman with a current grade of 90.3.

The veteran has had quite a career with both the Jags and Arizona Cardinals, accumulating a total of 688 tackles, 14 forced fumbles, and 88 sacks. His recent nomination puts him in company with Jags greats like Tony Boselli (five selections), receiver Jimmy Smith (five selections) and running back Maurice Jones-Drew (three selections) all of whom have been to three Pro Bowls or more with the franchise. He also had two nominations with the Cardinals in 2014-15.

Are there any Jags assistants who should survive a coaching change?

There are two coaches who may stand a chance to survive a coaching change for the Jags in our books. One of them is Joe DeCamillis.

With a 4-9 record currently and five straight losses by at least 17 points, the Jacksonville Jaguars are unquestionably going to have a coaching change at the end of the year. Of course, the reason for their record and pending changes is somewhat due to the Jags’ current staff being out-coached at times and fans have been very vocal about getting Doug Marrone and his staff out of the facility.

That said, our question of the day is whether or you all at home feel there is a member of the current staff who should survive what will likely be a coaching staff change in a few weeks? Here are two candidates who we feel at least deserve another year:

Special teams coach – Joe DeCamillis

Joe DeCamillis is one of the league’s most respected special teams coaches and it’s easy to see why when looking at his body of work before joining the Jags and after. Prior to coming to Jacksonville, he was so highly regarded at his last stop that he served as the interim head coach for the Denver Broncos Week 6 of the 2016 season with Gary Kubiak dealing with and illness.

First and foremost, he deserves praise for what he’s gotten out of Josh Lambo, who is kicking at a Pro Bowl level this season. The veteran, who the Jags signed off the free-agent market during the 2017 regular season, has converted 96.3% of his field-goal attempts (26-of-27), good for the best in the league.

DeCamillis has also turned Logan Cooke into a stud punter. With the offense not offering much production, Cooke has been a weapon for the Jags averaging just under 44 yards per punt and constantly pinning the opposition behind the 20-yard line. The crazy part about it is that he’s only 24 and keeping DeCamillis by his side could make him an All-Pro down the road.

Receivers coach – Keenan McCardell

The other assistant who comes to mind when discussing the staff’s ability to teach is receivers coach and Jags great Keenan McCardell, who pretty much has done a well as you can with the young receivers he’s inherited.

During his first season on the Jags’ coaching staff, McCardell immediately showed his skills as a communicator. One series into the regular season, he lost his top receiver, Allen Robinson, for the year with an ACL tear but it didn’t stop him from getting the best out of what was left for Blake Bortles to utilize. He got some quality moments and play out of undrafted rookie Keelan Cole that season, who totaled a career-high in statistics with 42 catches, 748 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

McCardell’s other noteworthy achievement was coaching up second-year receiver DJ Chark Jr., who struggled mightily in 2018 but looks like one of the league’s most improved players now. Chark is currently just 44 yards shy of the 1000-yard mark this season and has impressed on all levels of the field despite the frequent changes at quarterback.

If there is a new staff, they almost certainly will recognize the coaching Chark and the other receivers have responded to and possibly consider keeping McCardell. It also may help his case that he was formerly a receiver in the league who was largely successful.

That said, we’d like to know if you all at home believe McCardell and DeCamillis deserve to remain assistants past 2019. Is there someone we missed on the staff that deserves to stay? Let us know in our Jags Wire forum.