Jacksonville made a potentially risky decision during the preseason when it traded projected starting middle linebacker Joe Schobert to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a sixth-round pick. The return for a starting-caliber player wasn’t great, but it allowed the Jaguars to ditch a pricey deal on a player that the coaching staff didn’t think was a great fit in the defensive scheme.
Without him, Jacksonville will largely turn to Damien Wilson, a free-agent acquisition who started for Kansas City last season, and Shaq Quarterman, a second-year player who appeared in 12 games last season but had a limited impact, totaling only six tackles.
Defensive coordinator Joe Cullen had positive things to say about the play of both in the preseason opener against Cleveland.
“Well, we have got Damien [Wilson] who’s been a two-year starter with Kansas City at MIKE linebacker,” Cullen said. “And then we drafted Shaq [Shaquille Quarterman] a year ago and there wasn’t much tape to evaluate him other than college, he didn’t play much. But the thing that we saw from him and the thing that we some from those young linebackers is speed, downhill thump in terms of knocking the run out. Damien, that’s his strength. And you know, obviously, it was a decision, we moved forward and [we wish] the best for both the organization and Joe, he’s going to Pittsburgh. So, I think when you saw 50 the other night, [Shaquille Quarterman], he was flying around hitting people.”
Quarterman’s impact was indeed noticeable against the Browns, as he finished tied for second on the team in tackles with four. It has been expected that Damien Wilson, who is considered a better fit than Schobert in Cullen’s defense given his run-stopping ability, would win the starting job, but Quarterman may not go away quietly.
Cullen even said his previous team, Baltimore, considered selecting him in the 2020 class.
“Well, we looked at [Quarterman] when we were in Baltimore and we liked him in Baltimore and [we] just like his plus-two mentality, his physicality, and he’s got one speed and that’s a plus-two, 100 miles an hour,” Cullen said.
The battle for the starting inside linebacker job next to Myles Jack will likely continue on throughout the preseason and possibly into the regular season, but it seems the Jacksonville staff is pleased with the talent at the position even after trading away a projected starter.