Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher Dawuane Smoot’s return to the field is coming soon. The 275-pound outside linebacker has a chance at making his 2023 debut Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, according to Jaguars coach Doug Pederson.
“Smoot’s fine,” Pederson said in a Wednesday press conference. “We activated him last week in London and he’ll have another week this week. Hopefully, if everything goes well, there’s a chance he could play this football game.”
Smoot, 28, was leading the Jaguars in sacks last season when he suffered an Achilles tear in December. After becoming a free agent in the offseason, the veteran pass rusher finally re-signed with Jacksonville, days before the start of training camp.
He began the 2023 season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, but Smoot’s 21-day window to return was opened last week, allowing the outside linebacker to return to practice.
A third-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Smoot finished his first two seasons without a sack and has recorded five to six sacks in the last four seasons. Through the first five weeks of the 2023 season, Josh Allen has recorded six sacks, Travon Walker has two, and K’Lavon Chaisson has one. The team’s nine total sacks ranks 26th in the NFL.
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