Category: Myles Jack

Could the Jaguars look to trade LB Myles Jack this offseason?

ESPN identified Jack as one of 20 potential trade candidates in the NFL this offseason.

This is a young Jacksonville roster without many established franchise players. But one of the few players who has earned that distinction is Myles Jack, who was a second-round pick for the team back in 2016.

The team hit the jackpot in that draft, selecting three-time First-Team All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Pro Bowl edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, as well. But of the three players, only Jack remains on the team heading into 2022.

His production has been very solid, and he earned a four-year, $57 million extension in 2019. He has two years left on that deal, which will cost the Jags $10.5 million (with a $13.5 million cap hit) in 2022 before the salary rises to $11.25 million in the final year of his deal.

Though this is far from a massive deal, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler thinks the Jaguars could look to put Jack on the trade block and shed the deal, with the Los Angeles Rams being a potential suitor.

Rumors persisted about Jack at the trade deadline in November, and the ever-rebuilding Jacksonville could look to shed assets and salary yet again. Jack’s $10.5 million salary is reasonable, and he’s in his prime, turning 27 in September. The Rams need dynamic linebacker help.

A move like this would make some sense for Jacksonville. Jack is coming off a semi-disappointing season after a huge comeback year in 2020. He led the team in tackles with 108 but finished 10 shy of the career-best mark he set last year despite playing in one more game. He only had three tackles for loss with no sacks, and he struggled a bit in coverage, as well, failing to notch a pass breakup or interception in 2021.

With that being said, this is a Jaguars team that has enough holes as it is, and it seems unlikely that they choose to create another one at such an important position by parting ways with one of their few veteran leaders. Jack will almost certainly be back in 2022, but this is certainly something to keep an eye on as the offseason progresses.

Jags LB Myles Jack placed on Reserve/COVID-19 list just before game vs. Jets

The Jags will be without one of their team captains in Myles Jack Sunday against the Jets after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Jacksonville Jaguars placed a few starters on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Friday and one more will be joining them. That player is linebacker Myles Jack, who is one of the Jags’ leaders and defensive captains.

The team made the announcement Sunday morning as they are currently in East Rutherford getting ready to take on the New York Jets. This, of course, means he won’t take the field Sunday, though he does have time to return in a few days if he is vaccinated.

A vaccinated player can return if they produce two negative tests that are 24 hours apart. However, if Jack is unvaccinated, he’ll have to miss at least 10 days and that would rule him out for next week’s game in New England, too.

Jack leads the Jags in tackles with 97. However, with him set to miss Sunday’s game, the Jags could roll with veteran Dakota Allen, who has registered three starts with the Jags, in his place. The team also has options in Shaquille Quarterman or Chapelle Russell who could potentially step in.

The Jets offense is ranked 22nd overall, so the player who will replace Jack may be able to hold their own. Additionally, the Jets have placed a lot of players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list as well, so both teams will be without key players.

Jaguars LB Myles Jack named team’s nominee for 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award goes to a player committed to humanitarianism and leadership off the field.

It’s been a disappointing season for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but despite its struggles, one player has the opportunity to take home some of the most prestigious hardware the game has to offer.

Linebacker Myles Jack was named the team’s nominee for the 2021 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which is given annually to a player who demonstrates excellence on the field and leadership off it. Jack will look to become the second Jaguars player to win the award after Calais Campbell did it with the team in 2019.

A more substantive list of Jack’s community endeavors can be found here, but just to summarize, he runs an annual Back to School event that provides children with schools supplies, clothes and other needs. He has donated $10,000 to JEA to help keep Jacksonville residents’ water and lights running, and he also awards two $4,000 scholarships each year to students from Edward Waters College, a historically Black college located in Jacksonville.

He has also participated in a USO tour in South Korea in 2019, and he has hosted events for the service members and families stationed at Naval Station Mayport.

Jack has been very active for the Jags’ defense, leading the team with 82 tackles (three for loss) and is potentially on pace to set career highs in both marks. His previous career highs came last year when he totaled 118 tackles (six for loss).

But as good as he is on the field, he has been just as impactful — if not more so — in the Jacksonville community since the franchise drafted him in 2016. Jack will find out if he’s this year’s recipient of the Man of the Year Award during the NFL Honors special, which will air in primetime the Thursday before the Super Bowl on ABC.

Jaguars Week 8 injury report: LB Myles Jack upgraded to full participation

Jaguars LB Myles Jack was upgraded to full participation on the injury report Thursday, but his status marked the only change on the Jags end.

The Jacksonville Jaguars only had one change on their injury report Thursday and it was a significant one. Starting linebacker Myles Jack, who is expected to return from a back injury Sunday, was upgraded to full participation after being a limited participant in practice Wednesday.

Jack sustained his injury in the second half of the Jags’ game against the Tennessee Titans and it caused him to miss the Jags’ following game in London against the Miami Dolphins. In that game the Jags’ defense allowed 354 passing yards, so Jack’s absence didn’t really help them, though he’s registered a 49.5 figure in coverage himself.

As for the rest of the team, guard Ben Bartch (concussion) remained the lone full participant on the injury report, while defensive tackle Jay Tufele (hand) remained the lone player on the list to not participate in practice. On defense, Tyson Campbell and DaVon Hamilton remained limited. Center and guard Tyler Shatley remained limited, too, as did long snapper Ross Matiscik.

As for the Seattle Seahawks, their injury report update can be viewed here on Seahawks Wire.

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Jags LB Myles Jack says NFL hit him with a 20K fine for taunting in Texans game

Many aren’t fans of the NFL’s new taunting rule and one player on the Jags’ roster personally knows how serious the rule is being taken, unfortunately.

The NFL has entered this season with plans to stress its rules against taunting, and both fans and players alike aren’t fans of it. Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack is now undoubtedly among those people after getting fined by the league for a taunting incident that occurred against the Houston Texans.

Earlier this week, the veteran linebacker told the media that he was done talking smack to opponents as the hefty 20K he received fine certainly got the point across.

Through the first two weeks of the season, 11 players have been penalized for taunting on the field. Per USA TODAY, all but two were rightfully called by the league’s eyes, but it’s unknown which two were wrongfully called.

The vocalization against the NFL’s stance on taunting has especially become louder over the past week with people like former offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz (as seen above) and others speaking out against it. Despite that, the league has no plans to modify the rule at the moment as they clearly think it’s working.

With no solution to this messy situation coming any time soon, the good thing is that there is a team captain on the Jags’ roster who knows first-hand how serious the league is about the new taunting rule. That said, Jack should relay his message to his teammates, and if he does, the Jags roster can keep a little more money in their pockets and avoid hurting the team with a costly penalty.

Stock up, stock down following the Jags’ preseason loss to the Saints

The Jags’ second preseason game against the Saints wasn’t pretty at all, but nonetheless we were able to put together a stock report after the 23-21 loss.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have wrapped up stop No. 2 of their preseason tour after sustaining another loss, but this time it was to the New Orleans Saints in the form of a 23-21 final score.

It was a game where the starters on offense and defense didn’t exactly come out how fans wanted, leaving several concerns as the preseason heads into its final week. As always, though, there also were a few good things to take away from the process, too.

Here’s a stock report of both members on the team who are ascending and some who are descending as the Jags have passed the mid-way point of their 2021 preseason:

Jags defensive leader Myles Jack likes what he’s seen out of Trevor Lawrence so far

One of the Jags’ team captains, Myles Jack, recently got to give his assessment of Trevor Lawrence, and so far, it appears he likes what he’s seen.

The Jacksonville Jaguars took the practice field for their training camp practice and the offense, in particular, was the standout unit. Of course, Trevor Lawrence was the biggest topic coming into camp and he made sure he didn’t disappoint.

Lawrence particularly shined in the Jags’ final team drill, completing various passes on the intermediate level. He ultimately ended his first training camp session 16-of-18 while splitting snaps with Gardner Minshew II as the QB1.

After practice, NFL Network’s James Palmer talked to Jags defensive captain Myles Jack about how Lawrence has looked and the young linebacker said he’s been as advertised for the most part.

“It was cool because you see the draft and everything and you hear the hype,” said Jack. “So, I’m getting in my stance and I’m seeing him getting underneath and when you start seeing him sling the ball man. You’re like, OK, this is what a number one overall pick looks like. You know what I mean? So, in my experience I’ve played against a lot of great quarterbacks and to see a young guy come in and the touches that he puts on the ball, the passes he can make, throwing receivers open — he’s got a very good understanding. Will he make mistakes as a young guy? Of course. But I think he’ll be here for a long time and he’ll be a staple for Jacksonville.”

While the pads haven’t gone on yet, this is still encouraging to hear for Jags fans. Lawrence left the Jags’ facility on a high note when looking at his last minicamp practice last month, and the fact that he’s picking up where he left off proves that the work he put in during the break is paying off.

Lawrence linked up with his teammates at least twice (once in Jacksonville and once in Clemson) to throw the football around and work on their chemistry. Now, he’ll need to improve on a day-to-day basis as the practices will be more intense and preseason reps are coming in August. However, if his start to camp is an indicator of the strides he can make, it appears Jags fans are in for an interesting training camp period.

Calais Campbell says Myles Jack could be the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL

The former Jacksonville defensive end said Jack could be a two-way player in the NFL.

Los Angeles pitcher Shohei Ohtani is in the process of making Major League Baseball history. Dubbed by some as the best two-way player since Babe Ruth, Ohtani was the winning pitcher and leadoff hitter for the American League in Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game.

Two-way players in baseball are extraordinarily rare, as Ruth was the last player to pitch 100 innings and have 200 plate appearances in a season, which was nearly 100 years ago. In football, though, they’re less rare (albeit still uncommon).

And according to former Jacksonville and current Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell, Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack could be the NFL’s version of Ohtani if given the chance.

Jack is inarguably an incredible athlete, and it wouldn’t be the first time in his football career he’s been asked to play on both sides of the ball. In college at UCLA, Jack saw a healthy amount of action at running back in addition to being a starter at linebacker.

In three years he saw 68 carries for 387 yards and 11 touchdowns, and though Jacksonville hasn’t tried to implement his skill set on offense, it’s not necessarily off the table.

The closest we’ve seen would be his fumble and interception returns, which have flashed some of the moves that led the Bruins to use him on offense in college after being a versatile threat in high school.

He has 97 fumble return yards on his career for one touchdown, and that doesn’t include the yardage he would’ve received had his controversial fumble recovery against New England in the 2017 AFC Championship not been called back.

Given Jack’s importance to the defense, it’s highly unlikely we see Jacksonville risk his health to give him opportunities on offense. But for a former defensive teammate to give Jack those kinda props, it just goes to show how talented he is.

Myles Jack and Joe Schobert mentioned among the best NFL linebackers

Jack cracked the top 10, while Schobert earned a shoutout as an honorable mention.

Jacksonville’s defense wasn’t particularly effective in any aspect last season, finishing 27th in the league in passing yards allowed and 30th in rushing yards allowed. With that in mind, you wouldn’t think that the Jaguars would boast one of the better linebacker duos in the league.

But perhaps the team thinks otherwise. Aside from adding Kansas City’s Damien Wilson (and maybe the addition of Dylan Moses), the Jags didn’t make any major changes to the group this offseason, and their projected starters remain the same.

The obvious headliner is Myles Jack, now entering his sixth season. The veteran has been productive for Jacksonville, but he had some of the best play of his entire career to begin the year in 2020.

It’s for this reason that Jack ranks No. 10 in the NFL linebacker rankings from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who based his list on the opinions of executives, coaches and players from around the league.

Jack was underachieving at middle linebacker; the arrival of free agent Joe Schobert slid him to the outside. That might have been the best move Jacksonville made during a brutal 1-15 season in 2020.

“He played like an All-Pro last year,” an NFC exec said of Jack.

Jack showed his range with 49 run-stop tackle wins (plays within 3 yards of the line of scrimmage). One AFC coach called him more of a “listener than commander,” hence the move to the outside suiting him.

Our final top-10 linebacker, Jack edged out Deion Jones, whose elite speed landed him in the top five last year. But Jack is fast too, and he has nearly 20 pounds on Jones (244 vs. 227).

“Would like to see him more consistent, but it is really tough to get past him,” an NFC coach said. “[The Jaguars] are letting him play fast and float to the ball.”

Jack is certainly the highest-profile player the team currently has on the roster who isn’t named Trevor Lawrence, but his success in 2020 can’t be discussed without mentioning the addition of Schobert.

The middle linebacker wasn’t absurdly impressive in his first season with the team, but he was solid and started every game, clearing the way for Jack to play in his more natural position on the outside. Schobert’s production was still enough to get a mention from an AFC defensive coach, though he didn’t crack the top-10.

“Good field general, great in zone coverage,” the coach said. “Never going to be the big, physical guy.”

Between Jack and Schobert, the Jags should have a solid starting duo, though depth at the position still leaves a bit to be desired. The team will certainly hope so, as it will need its defense to perform much better in 2021 if it wants to be competitive in the AFC South race.

Trevor Lawrence assists Jags fan with home decor

The rookie Jacksonville quarterback came through clutch for a Jags fan who appealed to him for approval on decorating his home with jerseys.

Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence came up clutch for Jaguars fan Logan Nugent. After Nugent’s fiance, Amber Phommathep, said he couldn’t hang up jerseys of Lawrence, Josh Allen and Myles Jack unless the former acknowledged him, the rookie first-overall pick gave his approval on Twitter.

“It went crazy from then,” Nugent told ESPN’s Mike DiRocco. “My phone hasn’t stopped buzzing since 7 p.m. [Thursday] night.”

Allen initially responded to the tweet urging Lawrence to reply, and a former Jags player got in the mix as well when current Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell said Nugent shouldn’t put the jerseys in the living room.

“They don’t have to do stuff like that [respond to fans’ tweets], and I know they get tweets like this all day,” Nugent said. “It’s awesome.”

The couple are big-time Jaguars fans who took their engagement photos in custom No. 21 jerseys that said “NUGENT” on the back. Now, it seems their home decor will reflect that, much to Phommathep’s chagrin.