The Jacksonville Jaguars kept seven wide receivers, including rookies Parker Washington and Elijah Cooks, when the team cut its active roster down to 53 players Tuesday.
On Thursday, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke revealed the team could’ve cut that number to six by trading Washington.
“He was never on the trade block, we weren’t actively shopping him … but there were several teams that reached out,” Baalke said in a press conference. “It wasn’t a situation that we felt comfortable with, or didn’t move the needle for us, let’s put it that way.”
Washington, 21, was picked with the No. 185 overall selection in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft. In preseason, the former Penn State receiver caught two passes for 31 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown against the Detroit Lions.
Jags rookie WR Parker Washington scores the first TD of the game
📺: #JAXvsDET on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/L9mPiySmuK pic.twitter.com/HfBOYR2xK2— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2023
In addition to his receiving skills, the Jaguars also view Washington as a player with return ability. He’s listed as the backup for punt and kick return duties behind Jamal Agnew and he averaged 21 yards per kick return and 9.3 yards per punt return in preseason.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]