Tag: Chris Claybrooks

Jags make moves to prep fo Week 15’s game vs. Ravens

Andrew Norwell and Chris Claybrooks will officially be returning from IR this week against the Ravens.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made several transactions Saturday to prepare their roster for Week 15’s road trip to Baltimore.

As expected, the most important transaction was activating cornerback Chris Claybrooks (core muscle) and guard Andrew Norwell (forearm), both of whom were designated to return from injured reserve this week. Norwell will be returning to his role as the starting left guard, while Claybrooks will likely have to enter the starting lineup, too, as Sidney Jones (Achilles) was ruled out.

The Jags also activated Tre Herndon from the Reserve/COVID-19 list after he was placed on it Wednesday. This news is pretty significant for the cornerback position as Herndon is the most experienced boundary corner on the perimeter with 23 career starts to his name.

The Jags also elected to snag some help from their practice squad by activating cornerback Quenton Meeks via a standard practice squad elevation and offensive lineman Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms via a COVID-19 Replacement transaction. Again, Meeks’ addition helps the Jags at the spot where they are the most wounded, while Wallace-Simms gives the Jags a backup offensive lineman to replace Ben Bartch, who went on the Reserve/ COVID-19 list this week.

Jags designate CB Chris Claybrooks, guard Andrew Norwell to return from IR

The Jaguars could be on the way to getting a huge boost for their offensive line as Andrew Norwell was designated to return from IR.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the way to getting back two key contributors as rookie cornerback Chris Claybrooks and guard Andrew Norwell were designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday. As a result, the Jags now have 21 days to activate either or both to their 53-man active roster.

Claybrooks was the first of the two to go on injured reserve back on Nov. 26 for a core muscle injury. Norwell was added to the list two days later for a forearm injury.

Claybrooks would bring back a player with experience to the Jags’ wounded secondary as the rookie has started in two games for the Jags. Before heading to IR, he also was able to garner 28 tackles and three pass breakups.

Norwell’s return will be a big help, too, as he started in all of the Jags’ games prior to going on injured reserve. Before his injury set him back, he was the Jags’ second-highest graded (71.1) offensive lineman under Brandon Linder, per Pro Football Focus.

Will the Colts-Jags Week 1 game be on TV in your area?

The Colts and Jags will be duking out Week 1 and plenty near Jacksonville and Indianapolis will be able to watch.

The Jacksonville Jaguars 2020 season is almost here as the team will kickoff their campaign at home against the Indianapolis Colts. The game will be one of 10 that will start at 1 P.M. EST on Sunday, Sept. 12.

Per 506 Sports, those in the teal shaded area below will be able to catch the action as the game will be aired on CBS.

This week, there will be some familiar faces calling the game in Spero Dedes (play-by-play) and Adam Archuleta (color commentary).

The Jags are largely viewed as underdogs this week, however, one thing they have going in their favor is that they beat the Colts in their last meeting by a score of 38-20, which was the 2019 season finale. In the meeting before that (Week 10), the Colts were able to win handily by a score of 33-13.

Since their last meeting both teams have made some upgrades. In the Jags case, they leaned towards the defense a little more than the offense, landing players like Joe Schobert, C.J. Henderson, and K’Lavon Chaisson in the offseason.

On offense, Gardner Minshew II will have some new weapons at receiver in Laviska Shenault Jr., Collin Johnson, and Tyler Eifert. The Jags will also be giving undrafted running back James Robinson the nod to start, too, after the team waived Leonard Fournette recently.

Takeaways from Jags’ Saturday scrimmage: Timmy Jernigan, Luq Barcoo have strong showings

The Jags’ defense had themselves a day in Saturday’s scrimmage with new additions like Timmy Jernigan and Luq Barcoo standing out.

The Jacksonville Jaguars took the field for their fifth padded practice Saturday, which doubled as a scrimmage (minus the fans). With the offense having a good week heading into this point, the defensive unit was the better of the two Saturday as Friday’s maintenance day seemingly helped them.

Here are some takeaways we gathered from Saturday’s session which proved to be another productive day for the Jags:

Timmy Jernigan begins to make noise for DL

The signing of Timmy Jernigan on Monday was the news of the week for the Jags and he’s beginning to find his footing it appears. His name was one mentioned by several in attendance Saturday as he gave the offensive line issues in the trenches and found himself disrupting plays on several occasions.

 

John Reid of The Florida Times-Unionnoted that Jernigan’s presence was felt during the Jags’ 19-play scrimmage. In particular, he had a play during a goal-line snap where he shot the gap and overpowered offensive lineman Blake Hance. Had it been in a game, the play would’ve been a sack for Jernigan on rookie quarterback Jake Luton.

Young secondary members step up

Thursday we noted that the Jags’ young secondary members struggled against Keenan McCardell’s receivers group Thursday as they were without starters Ronnie Harrison (concussion protocol) and C.J. Henderson (non-coronavirus related). Since, Harrison has returned but Henderson remains out, which has given the staff a chance to look at other young players in his spot.

One player in particular who was mentioned frequently was undrafted rookie Luq Barcoo, a player who’ve we told our readers to be mindful of in the past. During Saturday’s scrimmage, Reid noted that Barcoo stepped up to break up a 20-yard post pattern to camp star D.J. Chark Jr. This just adds to many noteworthy plays he’s made over the last few days as he pushes for a roster spot in what is a crowded group of corners.

Speaking of the cornerback group being crowded, fourth-round draft pick Josiah Scott has been active, too. He’s done it all from acquiring multiple picks, to causing pass breakups, and has been near the ball frequently. Those all are good signs for a player who the Jags probably believe is their nickelback of the future.

First Coast News’ Mia O’Brien also singled out seventh-round rookie Chris Claybrooks for making a play on receiver Michael Walker as he ran a curl route. Claybrooks was able to make a full extension breakup on the pass (by Luton).

O’Brien also singled out second-year safety Andrew Wingard, who is being viewed as a special teams leader by the staff. During Saturday’s practice, he was calling out checks and commands for the unit as they are looking for a new leader with players like Lerentee McCray and Cody Davis gone.

LB Myles Jack and RB Leonard Fournette go back and forth

Two of the team’s leaders, Myles Jack and Leonard Fournette, exchanged blows in 1-on-1s with Jack striking first in a blitz pickup drill. Jack was able to catch Fournette with a swim move as the fourth-year running back dipped his head and lost track of him. When it came to coverage, however, Fournette proved to give Jack issues who struggled with his footing on multiple occasions.

Other notes and tidbits

  • Tre Herndon spoke with the media Saturday to discuss this offseason and how he’s helped his fellow defensive backs.

  • Secondary coach Tim Walton also met with the media before Saturday’s practice. He discussed the growth of C.J. Henderson, the personalities within his group, and more.

  • The Jags made a signing after their scrimmage, adding tight end Matt Flanagan. They waived/injured second-year tight end Charles Jones to make room for the transaction.

Podcast: Jags Wire chats with NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah

The Jags will need a lot of help from their 2020 draft class. To discuss the group, Jags Wire sat down with draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

If the Jacksonville Jaguars are to have a successful 2020 season, they are going to need a lot of help from their rookie class. While that may seem like a difficult feat to achieve, it’s worth noting the team had arguably 2019’s best class in terms of contributions with players like Gardner Minshew II, Jawaan Taylor, and Josh Allen aiding the team to six wins.

To discuss the potential of the Jags’ most recent class from April, we spoke to someone who covered it live on ESPN for NFL Network in draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. The former scout of the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles joined us for our latest episode of the “Bleav in the Jags Podcast” and had plenty of takes the fans will definitely like.

Some of the specific topics we discussed outside of the Jags 12-man draft class was Jeremiah’s pick for the Jags’ top undrafted addition, his thoughts on how COVID-19 will affect college football, Gardner Minshew, being a general manager one day, and more.

After our conversation with Jeremiah, Jags Wire contributor Phil Smith and I continued to discuss Jimmy Smith’s recent resurgence on Twitter and the Jags’ value, according to Forbes.

Feel free to listen to the archived episodes of “Bleav in the Jags,”too, and subscribe via Apple podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify.

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Jaguars training camp primer: Everything you need to know about team’s new additions

The Jags made a lot of moves to get to the start of training camp with key additions like Joe Schobert, C.J. Henderson and more.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have reported for their first day of training camp. There were a lot of moves made this offseason to get to this point in addition to navigating through the issues coronavirus has caused.

To get you all prepared for what will be a unique training camp, we’ve decided to group all of the team’s new additions into one post. Here are all the new draft picks, free-agents, and coaches that Doug Marrone and company were able to add this offseason:

New additions

TE Tyler Eifert: Tight end has long been an area of concern for the Jags and 2019 was no exemption. The Jags were left almost bare at tight end last season when Geoff Swaim, Josh Oliver, and James O’Shaughnessy all had to go on injured reserve. With Swaim not showing much when he was healthy, the Jags released the veteran and picked up someone familiar with the scheme: Tyler Eifert. He’s a former Pro Bowler and will be TE1 but comes with injury concerns, missing over 50 career games.

RB Chris Thompson: Like Eifert, Chris Thompson brings familiarity to the Jags’ new system because he was with coordinator Jay Gruden in Washington. With such a young running backs room, the Jags felt the need to bring in a veteran, and with seven years of experience, Thompson should be a very good role model and player for the group.

LB Joe Schobert: The Jags tried Myles Jack out at MIKE linebacker after locking him up to a long-term deal, and to put it lightly, it didn’t work out. That said, they added veteran Joe Schobert this offseason to man the spot and move Jack to WILL linebacker, an area where his skill-set could better thrive.

DL Rodney Gunter: With the Jags trading Calais Campbell, they needed to find a cheaper option to replace him and Rodney Gunter ended up joining the Jags as a result. He’ll play both on the interior and exterior of the Jags’ defense and could be a sleeper to have a solid season.

DT Al Woods: Nobody expected the Jags to pick up Marcell Dareus’ expensive contract option this offseason and they didn’t. With a hole left at nose tackle, the ended up signing veteran Al Woods, who brings nine years of experience to the table and will be the oldest player on the team (33).

DE/LB Cassius Marsh: The Jags wanted more help on the edge and at SAM linebacker. That sent them in the direction of Cassius Marsh, who will compete with rookie K’Lavon Chaisson to start at SAM on early downs.

CB Rashaan Melvin: Jalen Ramsey was traded before the 2019 season was over and A.J. Bouye was traded before the 2020 offseason could end. With that being the case, the Jags needed a veteran at corner and added Rashaan Melvin as a result. He’ll enter his career with the Jags with 40 starts to his name and will compete with Tre Herndon to start alongside rookie C.J. Henderson.

Notable departures

DL Calais Campbell: The Jags made the tough decision to trade Calais Campbell as a result of needing to reallocate money and get younger. It’s possible they would’ve kept him on a smaller cap hit, but the good thing about the trade is that he ended up with a great team.

CB A.J. Bouye: Bouye is another testament of the Jags needing to reallocate money. Like Campbell, the Jags added him in 2017 through an expensive “win now” free-agent class, but success didn’t come for the team. That put the Jags in a predicament where they wanted to keep the veteran but had to dump his salary on the Denver Broncos.

DT Marcell Dareus: As previously stated, the option to pick up Dareus would’ve been costly to retain at about $20 million on the season. Sure, he was arguably their best run defender, but that’s not worth the price that would’ve c0me with him. The Jags were able to find a significantly cheaper veteran option in Woods and got a sleeper in third-round pick DaVon Hamilton, who could be the future at nose tackle.

QB Nick Foles: The Jags took a costly swing on the Super Bowl MVP in 2019 and he ended up with a collarbone injury that allowed them to see some impressive things out of Gardner Minshew II. Understanding they may have caught lightning in a bottle, they moved on from Foles by trading him to the Chicago Bears to give Minshew a clear path to the QB1 spot.

WR Marqise Lee: The longtime veteran was another expected cut for the Jags. His career, unfortunately, was plagued with injuries and the Jags simply saw an opportunity to upgrade the spot with a strong receivers class that highlighted the 2020 NFL Draft.

Draft selections (12)

Round 1 (No. 9): CB CJ Henderson, Florida (More about Henderson)

Round 1 (No. 20): Edge K’Lavon Chaisson, Louisiana State (More about Chaisson)

Round 2 (No. 42): WR Laviska Shenault, Colorado (More about Shenault)

Round 3 (No. 73): DT DaVon Hamilton, Ohio State (More about Hamilton)

Round 4 (No. 116): OL Ben Bartch, St. Johns (More about Bartch)

Round 4 (No. 137): CB Josiah Scott, Michigan State (More about Scott)

Round 4 (No. 140): LB Shaquille Quarterman, Miami (More about Quarterman)

Round 5 (No. 157): Safety Daniel Thomas, Auburn (More about Thomas)

Round 5 (No. 165): WR Collin Johnson, Texas (More about Johnson)

Round 6 (No. 189): QB Jake Luton, Oregon State (More about Luton)

Round 6 (No. 206): TE Tyler Davis, Georgia Tech (More about Davis)

Round 7 (No. 223:) CB Chris Claybrooks, Memphis (More about Claybrooks)

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Undrafted rookies (18)

Connor Slomka, FB, Army

Amari Henderson, CB, Wake Forest (Highlights) (Scouting report)

Steven Nielsen, OT, Eastern Michigan

Brandon Wright, kicker/Punter, Georgia State

Marvelle Ross, WR, Notre Dame College (Highlights)

James Robinson, RB, Illinois State University (Highlights) (Scouting report by NFL.com)

Kobe Williams, CB, Arizona State (Highlights)

Ross Matiscik, LS, Baylor (Highlights)

Josh Hammond, WR, Florida (Highlights)

Luqman Barcoo, CB, San Diego State (Highlights) (Scouting report by Mountain West Wire)

Nate Evans, LB, Central Florida (Highlights) (Scouting report by Black and Gold Banneret)

Tre’Vour Wallace Simms, OL, Missouri (Highlights) (Scouting report PFN)

Ben Ellefson, TE, North Dakota State (Highlights)

Nate Cottrell, RB, Georgia Tech (Highlights)

Tavien Feaster, RB, South Carolina (Highlights) (Scouting report by TDN)

Austen Pleasants, OL, Ohio (Highlights) (Scouting report by PFN)

J.R. Reed, Safety, Georgia (Highlights) (Scouting report by TDN)

New additions to the coaching staff

OC Jay Gruden: The Jags decided to mutually part ways with former offensive coordinator John DeFilippo this offseason, putting them on the market for a new offensive coordinator. They eventually ended up with former Washington Football Team head coach Jay Gruden to replace DeFilippo.

Gruden has had success with young quarterbacks in the past like Andy Dalton ad Kirk Cousins, which probably was a big reason Marrone wanted him on the team.

QB coach Ben McAdoo: Ben McAdoo, a former head coach for the New York Giants, will bring 16 years of coaching experience to the Jags’ quarterbacks room. His most notable run coaching the position came back in 2012-13, when he was with the Green Bay Packers and coached Aaron Rodgers.

Quality controls coach Dennard Robinson: Dennard Robinson is a familiar face to Jags fans as he was their No. 135th overall pick of the 2013 draft. As a quality controls coach on offense, the former multi-purpose weapon will be learning under guys like McAdoo and Gruden while also researching opponents in advance.

Assistant LB coach Tony Gilbert: Tony Gilbert is another former Jags player who will be joining the coaching staff as a newcomer. He spent time with the team during the Jack Del Rio era and will work alongside head linebackers coach Mark Collins.

Jags sign seventh-round rookie KR Chris Claybrooks

Seventh-round rookie from Memphis, Chris Claybrooks, has officially signed his contract to become a Jag.

In addition to K’Lavon Chaisson, Daniel Thomas, and Jake Luton signing their rookie deals Monday, seventh-round selection Chris Claybrooks also made his NFL career official by signing the dotted line. This now means the Jacksonville Jaguars have come to terms with their full draft class.

Claybrooks was the Jags’ last selection in April’s draft and was taken with the No. 223rd overall pick out of Memphis. While with the Tigers, Claybrooks played defensive back, garnering 54 total tackles, two picks (one of which were for a touchdown), and a forced fumble. He also was a kick returner for the Tigers and ended his career with 11 returns for 338 yards and a touchdown.

After the draft, the team stated that they would be looking to utilize Claybrooks as a returner as he offers blazing speed, which can be seen below in the following video that he sent to all 32 NFL teams.

View this post on Instagram

4.25💨

A post shared by @ huncho_clay7 on

While it’s uncertain as to if the 4.25 40-yard dash time was official or not, it’s clear Claybrooks can be a difference maker for the Jags at a position that can make field positioning easier for the offense.

Per Over the Cap, Claybrook’s deal is worth an estimated amount of $3,397,388 in totality. His signing bonus will be worth over $102K and will be evenly dispersed throughout his four-year deal.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple Podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

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Chris Claybrooks on kick returner role: ‘I am going to turn it loose with the Jaguars’

The Jags spent their last draft pick on kick returner Chris Claybrooks this April and it appears he has a good chance to overtake the job.

The Jacksonville Jaguars used all 12 of their draft picks in April and their last went towards a kick returner in Memphis defensive back Chris Claybrooks. While the NFL hasn’t opened fully due to COVID-19 and players who aren’t receiving injury treatment can’t report to their respective facilities, Claybrooks said he’ll have no trouble making an impact whenever he arrives at the Jags’ facility.

“I have been returning kicks all my life – in high school, JUCO and Memphis,” Claybrooks said via the Florida Times-Union. “I am going to turn it loose with the Jaguars.”

It certainly wouldn’t be shocking if Claybrooks turned things loose with the Jags as he averaged 30.7 yards per kickoff last season with 11 returns for 338 yards. He even returned a kickoff to start Memphis’ game against Cincinnati.

With the coronavirus causing complications and forcing Memphis to close their pro day, Claybrooks said he sent a tape to all 32 teams which included a video of him running a 4.2 in the 40-yard dash. Clearly, the Jags were impressed and now he’ll have a chance to compete and be the team’s starting kick returner once things get back to normal, according to general manager Dave Caldwell.

In 2019, the Jags’ leading kick returner was receiver Michael Walker, who had 18 returns for 411 yards. However, with the second-year player having problems protecting the ball at times, Claybrooks clearly has a shot to overtake him and be the No. 1 kick returner.

Listen to the latest from Jags Wire’s own James Johnson and Phil Smith on their podcast “Bleav in the Jags.” Subscribe via Apple podcasts and check out our archived episodes via Bleav Podcasts.

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Official uniform numbers for the Jaguars’ 2020 draft class

The Jags’ 2020 rookie class uniform numbers have been made official!

The Jacksonville Jaguars used all 12 of their draft selections during the 2020 NFL Draft, bringing in seven players on defense and five on offense.

Here are the uniform numbers each player will wear as they begin their journey in the NFL:

What the nation’s top analysts said about the 2020 Jaguars’ draft class

For the most part it looks like the nation’s journalists like what the Jags did in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 NFL Draft is in the books and it certainly has been one for the ages.

This year provided an interesting spin on the draft. Due to the social distancing guidelines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the draft was done virtually with the coaches and player personnel of all 32 teams making their selections from their respective homes. Once the picks were in NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell would then read them off from his home and the rest is history.

The new format didn’t deter viewers as the 2020 NFL Draft would go on to be the highest watched in history as Day 1 and Day 2 would go on to average 11.6 million views, according to Grant Gordon of NFL.com.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were a part of this historic affair as they put together a solid draft that could see them build very well towards the future. While some teams missed the mark with their selections, here is how the nation’s best draft analysts viewed the Jags draft.

Chad Reuter, NFL.com

Overall grade: A

“Jacksonville picked up two star SEC defenders (Henderson and Chaisson) to meet critical needs in the first round, then selected worthwhile prospects in the second (Shenault) and third rounds (Hamilton) to sew up a nice first two days of the draft. They started Day 3 with Bartch, who I thought was worthy of a top-75 selection. He plays with a nasty demeanor, and should be able to line up at tackle or, eventually, slide inside if needed. Scott provides more depth in the secondary. Quarterman’s just a great football player who will start in the middle at some point in his pro career (with the Jags or someone else). Thomas is a better athlete than football player at this point, and is likely a special teamer. Johnson is a nice outside complement to Shenault. Luton will compete for playing time if Gardner Minshew falters in 2020 and should at least be a solid backup in the league for a few years.”

Ryan Dunleavy, New York Post

Grade: A-

“Tear-down-and-rebuild of an elite defense starts with the two first-rounders. Shenault is a creative play-caller’s dream and Bartch is a high-ceiling developmental project.”

Mark Maske,  Washington Post

Grade: B+

“The Jaguars seem firmly in rebuilding mode, and they pushed that process along. They landed the draft’s second-best CB, CJ Henderson, and its second-best pass rusher, K’Lavon Chaisson, in the first round. They participated in the run on WRs with the second-round choice of Laviska Shenault Jr. About all that went wrong is that the Jaguars did not find a team willing to trade for RB Leonard Fournette or pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue.

Justin Leger of Yahoo Sports writes


Grade: B

 “Henderson is a perfect pick for Jacksonville after parting ways with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. Combine that with Chaisson at No. 20, and those are two huge additions to the Jags defense. Taking Shenault on Day 2 filled another need at wide receiver, and Hamilton bolsters their run defense. One of the better picks for Jacksonville on Day 3 was Scott, another nice addition to the secondary. Overall, a busy and effective draft for a rebuilding Jaguars squad.”

Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com (grade on Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson)

Jacksonville Jaguars: B+

“I love him because he can cover. There are so many guys in the NFL that I talked to leading up to the draft that thought he was better than Okudah.”

Nate Davis, USA TODAY

Grade: C+

“Seems they’re building toward 2021 – Trevor Lawrence? – but nevertheless picked reputable players, including first-round CB C.J. Henderson, who should address a glaring need following Ramsey’s departure. Pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson (Round 1) – taken with a pick obtained for Ramsey – and WR Laviska Shenault Jr. (Round 2) could need a transition year, which isn’t a knock but adds to the feel that this club is in a weird limbo. Speaking of which, disgruntled DE Yannick Ngakoue remains.”

Overall, the media received the Jaguars selections very well which could be an encouraging sign for things to come. It has been a tumultuous few weeks in Jacksonville with disgruntled defensive end Yannick Ngakoue battling with management and numerous accusations of the organization tanking for current Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

However, the Jaguars can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they did a solid job putting together a good, young team that could potentially compete sooner than people may think.