The Jacksonville Jaguars informed Tyler Gauthier that they would be signing him off the New England Patriots’ practice squad Monday, but it appears they had another move in mind, too. They made the announcement that they also signed Dakota Allen from the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad to help out their linebacking corps, which has struggled and been a victim to injuries.
To make room for the additions of both players, the Jags placed veteran linebacker Jake Ryan (hamstring) and offensive lineman Brandon Thomas (knee) on injured reserve.
We have signed rookie LB Dakota Allen (@dakota_allen40) off the Rams’ practice squad and rookie C Tyler Gauthier off the Patriots' practice squad.
To make room, we placed LB Jake Ryan (hamstring) and OL Brandon Thomas (knee) on our reserve/injured list. pic.twitter.com/OsSPGJCYHk
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) December 10, 2019
Allen, 24, is a name many will recognize from the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U.” He made history for the show by being the first player from the documentary to be drafted into the NFL.
Allen was drafted in April by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round (No. 251 overall). He was waived during final roster cuts, but was brought back through the team’s practice squad afterward.
In September, the Oakland Raiders snagged him off the Rams practice squad and he participated in their games against the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. However, in late October he was waived and the Rams added him to their practice squad again.
As a collegiate player, Allen played at Texas Tech where he accumulated 262 total tackles, four interceptions and 11 pass breakups. While there he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2017 and first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2018.