Tag: Devine Ozigbo

Jags release their list of Week 9 inactives vs. Texans

After being ruled OUT, Gardner Minshew was the most notable player on Week 9’s inactives list for the Jags as Jake Luton will start vs. HOU.

The Jacksonville Jaguars released their list of inactives for Week 9’s game against the Houston Texans, which consisted of seven players. Of course, the most notable was quarterback Gardner Minshew II (thumb), but there were others who surfaced on the list for injury reasons like tailback Devine Ozigbo and linebacker Dakota Allen.

Like Minshew, Allen (ankle) and Ozigbo (hamstring) were ruled out Friday on the final injury report. Both players sustained (or re-aggravated) their respective injuries Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers and exited the game early without returning.

One of the more interesting tidbits about Week 9’s list of inactives is that cornerbacks Luq Barcoo and Josiah Scott both surfaced on it again. The Jags elected to call up cornerback Josh Nurse from the practice squad instead of making either rookie active, which is puzzling after the solid training camp performances they had.

The last notable to surface on the inactives list was Aaron Lynch, who came out of retirement two weeks ago. With that being the case, it isn’t shocking that the veteran hasn’t been activated yet as the Jags are likely looking to get him in game day shape.

Jaguars elevate 2 from practice squad, activate RB Devine Ozigbo

Jags RB Devine Ozigbo has finally been activated and will get to take the field Week 7 against the Chargers.

As they typically have this season, the Jacksonville Jaguars made a few Saturday roster transactions to add some final touches to their team for Week 7’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

They announced that they used two standard elevation spots from their practice squad to temporarily promote safety Doug Middleton and tight end Eric Saubert to the active roster. The transactions come after the Jags ruled veteran safety Jarrod Wilson (hamstring) and tight end Tyler Eifert (neck) out on Friday’s injury report.

Sunday’s game won’t be the first time Middleton has been activated for the Jags this season. They also had to activate him for Week 4’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The team released him after the game and picked him back up on practice squad the following Monday.

Middleton has also spent time with the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans and will enter Week 7 with four starts and 35 tackles.

Saubert joined the Jags’ practice squad in September. He was a fifth-round pick for the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 and also spent time with the New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears. He’ll enter Sunday’s game with seven receptions for 69 receiving yards.

The Jags also activated running back Devine Ozigbo after he was designated to return from injured reserve a week ago. He was placed on the Jags injured reserve list before Week 1’s game with a hamstring injury. Ozigbo was expected to share the workload with James Robinson this season after a solid training camp performance and will now get a chance to be worked into the offensive mix.

To make room for Ozigbo’s transaction, the Jags placed veteran running back Chris Thompson on their Reserve/ COVID-19 list. He was mostly used for third-down situations and left the active roster with 16 receptions for 111 receiving yards and a touchdown. As a rusher, he was also able to garner five carries for 17 yards, but has yet to get his first rushing touchdown with the team.

Jags RB Devine Ozigbo designated to return from IR

The Jacksonville Jaguars could be on the verge of getting one of their training camp standouts back.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that running back Devine Ozigbo has been designated to return from the team’s injured reserve list Wednesday. With that being the case, they now have 21 days to officially place him on the active roster.

After an impressive training camp, Ozigbo was placed on injured reserve prior to the Jags’ Week 1 game against the Indianapolis Colts with a hamstring injury. That resulted in rookie James Robinson seeing a bulk of the snaps Week 1, allowing him to solidify himself as one of the league’s top running backs.

Currently the Jags have three running backs on their roster in Robinson, Chris Thompson, and Dare Ogunbowale. As previously stated, Robinson has handled a majority of the workload on offense accumulating just under 200 offensive snaps (59%). Thompson has mostly been used on third-downs, accumulating 119 snaps (36%) while Ogunbowale has only seen five offensive snaps (2%) and 55 special teams snaps (42%).

The Jags will be taking on a Detroit Lions team that is currently 30th against the run and has allowed an average of 170.3 yards on the ground. That makes for the perfect situation to possibly ease Ozigbo into the lineup, but Robinson has more than proven he can handle things in the backfield if the Jags want to wait.

Jags injury report: TE Tyler Davis misses second practice

Jags TE Tyler Davis may miss his first game due to an knee injury as he’s missed two days of practice this week.

The Jacksonville Jaguars only had three players to miss practice Thursday as the team inches closer to their season opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Those players were tight ends James O’Shaughnessy (veteran day off) and Tyler Davis (knee), and defensive end Adam Gotsis (veteran day off).

Rookie cornerback Josiah Scott (shoulder) also surfaced on the report as a new addition, but was a full participant.

With Davis being the only player in jeopardy of missing Sunday’s game the Jags seem to be in good shape. The only concern some might have is entering Week 1’s game with just two tight ends in O’Shaughnessy and Tyler Eifert, both of whom have had injury concerns in the past.

One thing worth noting is that the Jags have fullback Bruce Miller on the roster, who can also take on some duties at tight end if needed. The Jags also have tight ends Ben Ellefson and Matt Flanagan on practice squad if needed.

Running back Devine Ozigbo was also listed on the injury report, however, we’ve already reported that he was sent to injured reserve. To fill his spot on the roster the Jags signed former Tampa Bay Bucs running back Dare Ogunbowale.

Jags officially sign RB Dare Ogunbowale, send Devine Ozigbo to IR

With Devine Ozigbo recently sustaining a hamstring injury, the Jags went to the free-agency wire to find a replacement in Dare Ogunbowale.

As previously reported, the Jacksonville Jaguars were in the process of signing former Tampa Bay Bucs running back Dare Ogunbowale and completed the transaction Thursday morning. To make room for his addition, they placed running back Devin Ozigbo (hamstring) on injured reserve.

Ozigbo was projected to see a solid workload alongside James Robinson and Chris Thompson this year as the team recently waived Leonard Fournette. However, after showing up on the injury report Wednesday, his time on the field will be put on hold.

Under the new rules for IR (changed due to COVID-19), players now only have to wait three weeks before they can return from the list. There is also no limit on the amount of players who can return from IR in 2020.

As for Ogunbowale, he was a casualty of the Tampa Bay Bucs adding Leonard Fournette. He’s served more of a pass-catcher type running back since entering the league in 2017 and will enter his Jags tenure with 286 career receiving yards. Ogunbowale also has spent time as a special teams returner, with 360 career yards in the category.

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.

RB Devine Ozigbo listed among 3 players on Jags’ first injury report

The Jags first injury report of the season only had three players, but one of them was RB Devine Ozigbo.

The Jacksonville Jaguars first injury report of the 2020 season only had three players on it, with one simply having a day off in tight end Tyler Eifert. The other two players to surface on the report were running back Devine Ozigbo (hamstring) and Tyler Davis (knee), both of whom didn’t practice.

Of course, when looking at the Jags’ running back situation Ozigbo’s injury is the one that sticks out. The Jags already have Ryquell Armstead on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, and according to Doug Marrone, he will be out for “a while,” which has concerned many fans.

Ozigbo is one of three running backs on the active roster alongside rookie James Robinson and Chris Thompson. They also have fullback Bruce Miller on the roster and Nathan Cottrell on the practice squad if needed.

As for Davis, his situation is worth watching, too, because the Jags would only have two tight ends left on the active roster in Eifert and James O’Shaughnessy, both of whom have injury concerns. Again, if needed Miller could serve as a tight end and the team has options on the practice squad in Ben Ellefson and Matt Flanagan.

Previewing Jags’ RB group after Leonard Fournette’s departure

The Jags will be proceeding through this season without Leonard Fournette, but love the talent they had behind.

The Leonard Fournette era is officially over in Jacksonville as the Jags waived him Monday morning. After clearing waivers, the former first-round selection joined the Tampa Bay Bucs and will now have the chance to compete for a Super Bowl title with veterans like Tom Brady, Mike Evans, and Rob Gronkowski on the roster.

As for the Jags, Fournette’s departure has left many fans wondering about the running backs who remain on the roster and what they bring to the table. That said, after previewing the running backs before camp, we’ve decided to go back and look at the group for evaluations.

Here is our best guess as to how the depth chart will look come Week 1:

RB1: Devine Ozigbo

The Jags rarely used Divine Ozigbo last season after picking him up before Week 1 of the 2019 season. He only was able to register nine carries for 27 yards but that will change this season as he’s received solid reviews in camp.

It’s unknown who will be the Jags’ true “starting” running back, but it feels as though Ozigbo is the top candidate. He’s arguably had the best camp of any running back on the roster and Doug Marrone recently said he’s one of the running backs on the team who is a three-down rusher. That said, with James Robinson being a rookie and Ryquell Armstead missing various days of practice, the signs point to Ozigbo being atop the depth chart for Week 1.

RB2: James Robinson

Earlier this season, we predicted that James Robinson would make the team, and losing Fournette only helps his case more. Additionally, he’s received great reviews like Ozigbo, and veteran Chris Thompson even went on to say the rookie has the best vision of the running backs group as a whole.

Sure, it would be nice to see Robinson take the field in some preseason but the staff likes what they’ve seen in practice as he brings a nice blend of power and patience in addition to the vision Thompson mentioned. With those traits, one can see why the team is high on him as CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco pointed out this week.

RB3: Ryquell Armstead

Like Ozigbo, Armstead will definitely be getting his share of carries with Fournette gone. That’s a good thing because he was underutilized in 2019, only accumulating 35 carries for 108 yards.

The reason we didn’t put Armstead down as the No. 2 is due to him missing a lot of camp on the Reserve/COVID-19 though he was eventually removed. He’s also missed the last few practices with a non-COVID related illness, which is giving Robinson ample opportunities to continue to impress.

RB1 (third-downs): Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson is the most experienced running back in the locker room and he also has a big chance to make an impact from the backfield. Unfortunately, he’s battled with injuries and only has one career start to his name. For both of those reasons, it seems that it’s unlikely he’ll start and will be utilized more as a third-down rusher.

Thompson’s strength is pass-catching as he will come into 2020 with 1,772 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, much of which came while being paired with offensive coordinator Jay Gruden in Washington. His  presence as a receiver out of the backfield will be key because Fournette was a huge contributor in that department. In fact, in 2019, Fournette had a career year as a receiver, garnering 522 yards through the air — a total good for fifth in the NFL among running backs.

RB4: Nathan Cottrell

Like Robinson, Nathan Cottrell was a part of the Jags’ 2020 undrafted rookie class. Of course, with him coming in at the bottom of our list he hasn’t been nearly as impressive but could be an option for practice squad.

FB1: Bruce Miller

The Jaguars appear to be on the verge of bringing the fullback position back after going through 2019 without one. However, the team seemingly wanted someone with more experience at the position, so they added former San Francisco 49ers fullback, Bruce Miller, on Aug. 15 and waived undrafted rookie Connor Slomka.

Miller hadn’t played since 2015 so it will be interesting to see if the Jags keep him. He was one of the better fullbacks in football before an alleged off-the-field incident where he was accused of assault derailed his career. However, the charges were dropped and the Jags decided to give him another chance.

If the Jags feel he’s close to being the player he was before 2015, he could make the team, but if not — they could go in another direction.

Jags depth chart prediction: Running back

The Jags weren’t able to trade Leonard Fournette this offseason which mean he’ll likely be the guy leading their group of tailbacks in 2020.

With our depth chart predictions for the quarterback position out of the way, it’s time to move on to the running backs.

Here’s how we see things shaking out at what could be the second most important position for the Jags’ offense this regular season:

RB1: Leonard Fournette

This offseason the Jags at least were open to trading Leonard Fournette but we’re now past the draft and he’s still on the roster. Simply put, that means he’s going to be a Jag in 2020 in all likelihood and will also be their top running back.

Fournette will enter 2020 as one of the Jags’ top weapons after accumulating career-highs in rushing yards (1,152) and yards per carry (4.3) in 2019. He only had three touchdowns on the season, however, so hopefully coordinator Jay Gruden can help him find the end-zone more.

RB2: Ryquell Armstead

Just as he was in 2019 during his rookie campaign, Ryquell Armstead could enter 2020 as the Jags No. 2 running back. Unfortunately, he received limited carries (35) and only registered 108 yards on the ground as a result.

Granted his history with injuries, Fournette could benefit from sharing the load with Armstead but it’s unknown if the Jags will reduce his carries and utilize the second-year tailback more. Additionally, Fournette’s future with the team past 2020 is murky so it’s clear Armstead needs more snaps on the field.

RB3: Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson could be the No. 2 behind Fournette just as Armstead could, but I gave the edge to Armstead because Thompson is more of a threat in the passing game with 1,194 career receiving yards. He does know the system better than any running back on the team, however, as he spent several years under Jay Gruden in Washington so he has the edge over Armstead in that regard.

RB4: Devine Ozigbo

The Jags barely used Devine Ozigbo last season after acquiring him off the waiver wire after final cuts. He only registered nine carries for 27 yards and was only active for 10 games. He’ll be fighting to make the roster this year as a bubble player and will be the tailback who has to fend off the new incoming rookies.

RB5: James Robinson

This young undrafted rookie is a sleeper to make the roster in my opinion. He was a player who some scouts felt was a draftable prospect out of Illinois State as he was ultra-productive for the Redbirds, garnering 4,444 rushing yards and 44 touchdowns.

RB6: Tavien Feaster

Tavien Feaster is a Southeastern Conference product from South Carolina, so he’s played against the highest level of competition available. Before that, he spent three years with the Clemson Tigers. He’ll enter his rookie year with 2,002 career rushing yards and 20 touchdowns and could be a practice squad candidate with a good preseason.

RB7: FB Connor Slomka

Connor Slomka is listed as a fullback on the Jags’ site but Gruden hasn’t carried a fullback on his roster in recent years. That said, the Jags might be looking at Slomka more as an H-back. Regardless, he’s a long shot to make the final roster though practice squad is a possibility.

RB8: Nathan Cottrell

Nathan Cottrell was a teammate of sixth-round pick Tyler Davis at Georgia Tech. While there he wasn’t super-productive, garnering only 640 career yards and four touchdowns throughout four seasons. For that reason, it’s hard to see him making the final roster, but again, practice squad could be an option for him like the other undrafted running backs.

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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