Tag: Antonio Johnson

Jaguars signing Packers S Darnell Savage to 3-year deal

The Jaguars are turning to 2019 first-round pick Darnell Savage to take over for Rayshawn Jenkins in the secondary.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a deal in place to sign Green Bay Packers safety Darnell Savage to a three-year contract when he becomes a free agent Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The deal is set pay Savage $21 million over the three years with $12.5 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Savage, 26, was a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft and played the 2023 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. During his time in Green Bay, the safety recorded nine interceptions, one forced fumble, 32 passes defended, and nine tackles for loss. He also recorded a pick six in the Packers’ postseason win against the Dallas Cowboys.

His final season with the Packers was plagued by calf and shoulder injuries, which caused him to miss seven games.

While the Jaguars released Rayshawn Jenkins earlier in March to save more than $5.1 million in salary cap space, the decision to go after a safety in free agency is still a bit of a surprise. Fifth-round pick Antonio Johnson impressed as a rookie in 2023 and appeared in line to take over for Jenkins at strong safety with veteran Andrew Wingard providing quality depth.

Instead, the Jaguars may envision a nickel cornerback role for Johnson with Savage in the starting lineup.

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Aggies alumni duo of De’Von Achane and Antonio Johnson headline NFL All-Rookie Team

Last month, NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks selected his NFL All-Rookie Team and two former Aggies and current Florida residents made the list.

Last month, NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks selected his All-Rookie Team and two former Texas A&M football players made the list.

Both alumni are current Florida men, with one residing up in the north while the other is deep down south. Those two players are Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane and Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson.

Achane was picked in the third round at No. 84 overall.

“Despite playing behind a prolific point scorer (Raheem Mostert, who led the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns), Achane made his mark as a home run hitter in the lineup,” Brooks wrote. “The rookie averaged almost eight yards per carry (7.8) and scored 11 total touchdowns as a gadget/reverse playmaker with speed to burn.”

Johnson was a fifth-round pick at No. 160 overall.

“Like Brian Branch, Johnson spent a lot of time defending the slot, but I had to squeeze him onto this roster. Sue me,” Brooks wrote. “After taking over as the nickel defender in Jacksonville’s sub-packages, Johnson flashed the instincts, awareness and ball skills that had some scouts smitten with his potential during the pre-draft process. With a pair of interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble in a part-time role, the lengthy defensive back could flourish with more opportunities in 2024.”

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

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Jaguars vs. Panthers recap: Jacksonville ends skid with 26-0 blowout

The Jaguars ended their December skid with a much-needed blowout win against the Panthers.

The Jacksonville Jaguars finally got a December win, breezing through the Carolina Panthers in a 19-0 blowout in Week 17.

With Trevor Lawrence, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones all out of action, the Jaguars still did more than enough to put the disastrous Carolina offense out of reach. C.J. Beathard didn’t finish with any touchdown passes, but avoided turnovers and led the Jaguars into range for four Brandon McManus field goals.

Running back Travis Etienne Jr. scored the only two touchdowns of the day when he broke free for a 62-yard score and bulldozed his way to a 1-yard touchdown late.

The Jaguars defense were the heroes of the day, though. After the Panthers managed 44 yards on their opening drive before turning the ball over on downs, Jacksonville forced a three-and-out on six consecutive Carolina drives. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Panthers finally got back across the 50-yard line.

Here’s how the Jaguars’ dominant Week 17 win at EverBank Stadium went down:

Antonio Johnson aims to ‘just keep proving’ he’s ready for bigger role

Antonio Johnson played his first NFL snaps Sunday against the Bills. Now, he wants to earn more.

Many felt the Jacksonville Jaguars found a steal in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft when they snagged defensive back Antonio Johnson with the 160th overall pick.

Excitement about the rookie continued to swell when he was a standout in training camp. Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell described Johnson as “spectacular” in August. But that enthusiasm was shelved when the rookie suffered a hamstring injury.

For the last two games of preseason and the first four games of the regular season, Johnson was sidelined. On Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, the rookie finally made his regular season debut.

“I was excited, there was a lot of emotions out there,” Johnson said. “I just went out there and tried to give it my all. First game back, first game playing. I just wanted to have fun.”

Johnson played 10 snaps on defense and 16 on special teams as the team’s starting gunner. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said the team envisions Johnson continuing to play as a gunner while working his way into more snaps on defense.

“His role will increase, he’ll get more reps obviously on defense, maybe more dime situations or three-four if we go the three safety looks,” Pederson said. “If you go dime, he’s athletic enough to cover tight ends and running backs, stuff like that. I think you be smart with it, don’t overwhelm him with a lot of information, a lot of stuff right now.”

During a decorated career at Texas A&M, where Johnson was a two-time All-SEC selection, he lined up in the slot on the majority of his defensive snaps. Similar to Pederson, Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said Johnson may see more snaps if the team decides to have three or four safeties on the field.

“It was good to get his first dose of play in,” Caldwell said. “I thought he played well. He covered well, he had good play speed. He’ll continue to grow into his role.”

The goal for Johnson is to show that he deserves that bigger role.

“As the weeks go on, just keep proving myself in practice on special teams and on defense,” Johnson said. “Really just give the coaches confidence in me to allow me to go out there and play.”

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Jaguars WRs Zay Jones, Jamal Agnew active vs. Bills

The Jaguars have their wide receiving corps back to healthy for a Week 5 game against the Bills.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will officially have wide receivers Zay Jones and Jamal Agnew back in the lineup Sunday.

Jones, who missed two games, and Agnew, who was out last week, were both absent from the Jaguars’ short list of inactive players:

Also missing from the list is rookie defensive back Antonio Johnson, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury since August. The fifth-round pick is set to make his NFL debut and will likely be a contributor on special teams.

The Jaguars opened the possibility that Dawuane Smoot would make his 2023 debut earlier this week when the team opened his 21-day window to return from the PUP list. But Smoot was never activated ahead of Sunday, so he’s still not a current member of the 53-man roster and doesn’t need to be listed as inactive.

Buffalo similarly opened Von Miller’s 21-day window earlier this week, but unlike the Jaguars, the Bills officially activated Miller on Saturday. With the veteran pass rusher not listed among the team’s inactives, he’s set to play against the Jaguars on Sunday.

Hamlin, who has made an inspiring return to football after suffering cardiac arrest on the field last season, has been active for just one game so far this year. Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam, a 2022 first-round pick, is set to make his season debut after being a healthy scratch in the first four weeks.

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Jaguars rule out Dawuane Smoot, list 4 as questionable vs. Bills

The Jaguars ruled out four players, including Dawuane Smoot, for Sunday and listed four more as questionable.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ruled out four players and listed four more as questionable for a Week 5 game against the Buffalo Bills.

Outside linebacker Dawuane Smoot, who rejoined the Jaguars at practice this week as he begins his return from the PUP list, was among the group that won’t play Sunday.

Receivers Zay Jones and Jamal Agnew are both questionable, although Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said he’s optimistic both will play.

Rookie safety Antonio Johnson, who has been dealing with a hamstring issue since August, should be “up and active this week” for the first time in his career, Pederson told reporters.

For the Bills, two players were ruled out and two were listed as questionable.

Defensive end Greg Rousseau is tied for second on the team in sacks with three. While veteran pass rusher Von Miller is listed as questionable to make his season debut, he told reporters Friday that there’s a “94.5 percent chance” he’s ready to go Sunday.

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Jamal Agnew inactive for Jaguars, Cordarrelle Patterson active

With Jamal Agnew ruled out, sixth-round rookie Parker Washington is set to make his NFL debut.

Wide receiver and return specialist Jamal Agnew is inactive Sunday with a quad injury, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced Sunday. Making his NFL debut and presumably taking over kick and punt return duties will be sixth-round rookie Parker Washington.

On Friday, the Jaguars ruled out three players — Zay Jones, Devin Lloyd, and Antonio Johnson — and listed Agnew as questionable. The fifth inactive player for Jacksonville is rookie wide receiver Elijah Cooks, who has now been a healthy scratch in each of the first four weeks.

For the Atlanta Falcons, the most notable news from the list of inactives is a player who wasn’t listed: Cordarrelle Patterson.

Patterson led Atlanta in touchdowns last season with eight (all rushing), but missed the first three games of 2023 with a thigh injury. The Falcons officially list the wide receiver/running back as a “Joker” in their offense.

Wide receiver Josh Ali is the only player for the Falcons who is missing the game Sunday due to an injury.

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Zay Jones out, Jamal Agnew a ‘game-time decision’ vs. Falcons

The Jaguars ruled out three players and listed three as questionable for Week 4.

The Jacksonville Jaguars ruled out three players for a Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons and listed three as questionable.

Zay Jones, Devin Lloyd, and Antonio Johnson will all miss the contest, but wide receiver Jamal Agnew will be the one most under the microscope. The return specialist popped up on the injury report Thursday and his status for Sunday is up in the air.

On Friday, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson told reporters that Agnew will be a game-time decision, although he added the team is optimistic the receiver will be able to play.

With Jones out of action in Week 3, the team elevated Jacob Harris from the practice squad to the active roster and targeted Tim Jones more often in the passing game. The team also has rookies Parker Washington and Elijah Cooks on the roster, but kept them as healthy inactives in each of the first three weeks.

There doesn’t appear to be much concern about the availability of the other two questionable players, Foley Fatukasi and Anton Harrison.

For the Falcons, wide receiver Josh Ali is out and running back/wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is questionable. Both players have yet to appear in a game this season. Patterson led the Falcons in touchdowns during the 2022 season.

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Dawuane Smoot, Antonio Johnson, Cooper Hodges traveling to London

Doug Pederson says a trio of Jaguars players are getting closer to making their 2023 season debuts.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are bringing three players recovering from injury to London, opening the possibility that Dawuane Smoot, Antonio Johnson, and/or Cooper Hodges will make their season debut(s) soon.

During a press conference Wednesday, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Smoot (on PUP list), Hodges (on IR), and Johnson will make the trip overseas.

Smoot, 28, re-signed with the Jaguars in July, but is still recovering from an Achilles tear that ended his 2022 season in December. At the time of the injury, Smoot led the team in sacks.

“In Smoot’s case, obviously we want to get him acclimated into practice,” Pederson said. “Once we activate him, we don’t have to make a decision right away. We want to see where he’s at with kind of the rigors of practice.”

Johnson, a fifth-round draft pick earlier this year, is on the active roster but hasn’t practiced since suffering a hamstring injury in August. On Wednesday, the rookie defensive back was back on the field at the Miller Electric Center.

 

“In regards to Antonio Johnson, he’ll actually be able to do some things this week just individual-wise just to kind of get him back into practice a little bit,” Pederson said. “Then we can actually practice him next week going into Buffalo [in Week 5] and see where he’s at. … There is a chance that he could make it for the Buffalo game.”

Hodges, a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, suffered a knee injury in preseason that landed him on the injured reserve.

“Cooper, we’re not going to rush yet, there’s no need at this time,” Pederson said. “We’ll see how he handles the two weeks over there [in London]. He can’t — obviously, because he’s on IR — he can’t practice with the team. But he can do a lot of stuff off to the side.”

If the Jaguars designate Smoot and/or Hodges for return, it’ll open a 21-day window where those players can practice without counting against the 53-man active roster.

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Jaguars vs. Colts inactives: JaMycal Hasty, Parker Washington out

Five of the six Jaguars players listed as inactive Sunday against the Colts are rookies.

The Jacksonville Jaguars listed six players as inactive ahead of a 1 p.m. ET kickoff against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

There were no surprises on the list as rookies Antonio Johnson and Tyler Lacy were already ruled out on the Friday injury report. The rest of the list was also comprised mostly of rookies:

The only veteran who is inactive for the Jaguars in running back JaMycal Hasty, who was replaced in the third spot on the depth chart by free agent signee D’Ernest Johnson.

Jacksonville kept seven wide receivers on the 53-man roster after preseason, but will roll into Sunday with five after sitting down rookies Parker Washington and Elijah Cooks.

For the Colts, the big news on their list of inactives is that running back Zack Moss is officially out of action in Week 1.

Moss, who is recovering from a broken arm, was listed as questionable Friday, but downgraded to doubtful Saturday. With Jonathan Taylor also out of action, the Colts are expected to start third-year running back Deon Jackson.

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