Former Florida defensive lineman Taven Bryan hasn’t been the player in the NFL the Jacksonville Jaguars hoped he would be when they took him with the 29th pick back in 2018. Many around the draft media considered that pick to be a reach at the time, and strong play from Bryan has never materialized.
After the Jags’ final preseason game against Dallas, the team has to trim its roster down from 80 players all the way to the final 53. Given his struggles, Bryan could be one of the players on the chopping block.
According to USA TODAY’s Nate Davis, he’s one of several veterans in roster jeopardy heading into the final round of cuts.
A first-round pick in 2018, he’s had negligible impact for Jacksonville – 3½ sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 17 quarterback hits in his career – and the Jags have already declined his fifth-year option. The club’s new regime also has no investment in a player who’s never played in as many as 50% of the defensive snaps in a season.
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The last line of Davis’ analysis is especially damning for Bryan. He has never missed a game in three years, but he only has 17 starts in that time. Bryan has struggled to make an impact on the field, and barring a breakout season, he is likely heading into his final season in Jacksonville.
But he may not even make it to the start of the season. Bryan has had a tumultuous offseason in which he missed time after failing a physical and later being place on the COVID-19/Reserve list. He made his preseason debut in Monday night’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, but despite appearing on 49% of all defensive snaps in the game, he didn’t record a stat.
He’s running out of time to make a statement and with other guys on the interior of the defensive line outperforming him, he could have a difficult path to the final roster.
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