Tag: Gerrit Prince

Former Jaguars TE Gerrit Prince to join Chiefs practice squad

A day after getting cut by the Jaguars, tight end Gerrit Prince is set to join the Super Bowl champs.

A day after getting cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars, tight end Gerrit Prince is now set to join the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad, according to multiple reports.

Prince, 26, spent his entire rookie season on the Jaguars’ practice squad after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He appeared to be in line to make the 53-man roster this year, but Jacksonville decided to keep seven wide receivers rather than a fourth tight end.

While it’s unclear if the Jaguars made an effort to keep Prince with a practice squad offer of their own, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the second-year tight end chose Kansas City over Jacksonville.

For one, Prince is a Kansas-native whose hometown of Shawnee is about a dozen miles from Kansas City. He’ll also join a Super Bowl-champion roster that’s led at the tight end position by Travis Kelce, an 11th year tight end who turns 34 in October.

Prince caught three passes for 22 yards this year in preseason and had nine receptions for 72 yards during the Jaguars’ 2022 preseason slate.

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6 players cut by the Jaguars least likely to clear waivers

The Jaguars waived 27 players Tuesday. Which of those players are likely to get scooped up by another team off the waiver wire?

The Jacksonville Jaguars waived 27 players Tuesday in their effort to trim the roster from 90 players to 53.

While the team would love to have its pick of those players when it constructs its practice squad, the Jaguars’ may not be so lucky. There’s a strong chance a handful of the team’s former players won’t be available after hitting the waiver wire.

Jacksonville will only have the chance to sign players to its practice squad after every other team has decided not to put in a waiver claim. For these six players, there’s a strong chance that won’t happen:

5 Jaguars bubble players who have earned a roster spot

These five Jaguars players were on the bubble at the beginning of camp, but secured their place on the 53-man roster with a strong August.

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t have a ton of roster turnover during the 2023 offseason. The team kept 21 of its 22 starters, allowing only offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor to leave in free agency.

Even backups like C.J. Beathard, JaMycal Hasty, Adam Gotsis, and others were brought back. That left very little room for newcomers and other bubble players to earn spots on one of the NFL’s deeper rosters.

These five Jaguars players entered August seemingly in a fight for a place on the team’s 53-man roster. But with cutdown day coming Tuesday they now have little to worry about after securing their spots in camp and preseason:

Jaguars hope Gerrit Prince’s strong camp carries over to preseason

Gerrit Prince has been a star in Jaguars training camp. All that’s left is a strong preseason to match.

Gerrit Prince spent his rookie year on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad, but the second-year tight end is making a strong push for a spot on the active roster.

After standing out in the first two weeks of training camp, Prince is making himself difficult to ignore. All that’s left is a few preseason games where Prince can seal his spot.

“From what we’ve seen from Gerrit, you just want to see that carry over,” Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said earlier this week. “Last year I think he had a good preseason. That kind of raised some eyebrows from us of just, ‘Alright, this guy can continue to do it.’ He had a good year for us on the practice squad, making plays.

“Our expectation of him is that he can perform at this level. Now, you want to go see it against a new defense like I said, and just see it carry over and continue to grow as you move closer to the season.”

Prince, 25, was a two-time All-Conference USA selection during his time with the UAB Blazers, but joined the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent last year. While he didn’t play at all in 2022, he still managed to impress coaches and teammates.

“He was the young guy last year that was kind of all over the place, adjusting and learning how to be a pro,” Jaguars tight end Evan Engram said in July. “He’s a really talented player, he’s a really fluid athlete and he’s a tight end that is made for Doug [Pederson]’s offense. Just the growth I’ve seen in him, and even him now, he’s coaching guys in the meeting room better than I think I could.

“Really proud of the steps he’s taken, and he’s still got a lot of work to do, but the opportunity is at his fingertips. I’m very excited about his future, his potential, playing with him, him being able to learn from me, and honestly, I could probably learn some things from him too.”

Last year, the Jaguars carried four tight ends (Engram, Chris Manhertz, Dan Arnold, Luke Farrell) through the regular season. After allowing both Manhertz and Arnold to walk in free agency, there’s more room for Prince even after the Jaguars added Brenton Strange in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.

It may only take one strong performance from Prince this August to make him too valuable to waive after preseason.

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Jaguars 2023 roster review: TE Gerrit Prince

Jaguars tight end Gerrit Prince has been a surprise standout in the first week of training camp.

The brunt of the offseason is in the books and training camp is underway. Join us for a player-by-player review of the Jaguars roster ahead of the 2023 season.

Unsurprising players have stood out through the first week of training camp for the Jacksonville Jaguars, including wide receiver Calvin Ridley and cornerback Tyson Campbell. The impressive play of Gerrit Prince wasn’t as expected, though.

After spending his rookie year on the practice squad, the former UAB tight end has looked like a rising star.

“He’s a really talented player, he’s a really fluid athlete and he’s a tight end that is made for Doug [Pederson]’s offense,” Jaguars tight end Evan Engram told reporters early in camp. “Just the growth I’ve seen in him, and even him now, he’s coaching guys in the meeting room better than I think I could.

“Really proud of the steps he’s taken, and he’s still got a lot of work to do, but the opportunity is at his fingertips. I’m very excited about his future, his potential, playing with him, him being able to learn from me, and honestly, I could probably learn some things from him too.”

Contract (2023): $750,000 base salary, $750,000 cap hit.

Acquired: The Jaguars signed Prince as a rookie free agent on May, 2 2022.

PFF grades:

  • N/A

Highlight:

Quote: “I know how Doug [Pederson], when he was in Philly, I know how he used his tight ends there and I was really excited about that. I know he’s a tight ends emphasis guy, he knows how to get use us, get us in space and use us the best.”- Prince

Calvin Ridley (No. 0) Travis Etienne Jr. (No. 1) Rayshawn Jenkins (No. 2) C.J. Beathard (No. 3) Tank Bigsby (No. 4) Andre Cisco (No. 5)
Chris Claybrooks (No. 6) Zay Jones (No. 7) Logan Cooke (No. 9) Parker Washington (No. 11) James McCourt (No. 12) Christian Kirk (No. 13)
Kendric Pryor (No. 14) Tim Jones (No. 15) Trevor Lawrence (No. 16) Evan Engram (No. 17) Nathan Rourke (No. 18) Sammis Reyes (No. 19)
Daniel Thomas (No. 20) Latavious Brini (No. 21) JaMycal Hasty (No. 22) Foyesade Oluokun (No. 23) Snoop Conner (No. 24) D’Ernest Johnson (No. 25)
Antonio Johnson (No. 26) Divaad Wilson (No. 27) Tevaughn Campbell (No. 29) Montaric Brown (No. 30) Darious Williams (No. 31) Tyson Campbell (No. 32)
Devin Lloyd (No. 33) Gregory Junior (No. 34) Ayo Oyelola (No. 35) Christian Braswell (No. 36) Tre Herndon (No. 37) Qadree Ollison (No. 38)
Jamal Agnew (No. 39) Erick Hallett (No. 40) Josh Allen (No. 41) Andrew Wingard (No. 42) Kaleb Hayes (No. 43) Derek Parish (No. 43)
Travon Walker (No. 44) K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 45) Ross Matiscik (No. 46) De’Shaan Dixon (No. 47) Chad Muma (No. 48) Shaquille Quarterman (No. 50)
Ventrell Miller (No. 51) DaVon Hamilton (No. 52) Willie Taylor III (No. 53) DJ Coleman (No. 54) Dequan Jackson (No. 55) Yasir Abdullah (No. 56)
Caleb Johnson (No. 57) Raymond Vohasek (No. 59) Darryl Williams (No. 60) Samuel Jackson (No. 62) Coy Cronk (No. 64) Chandler Brewer (No. 67)
Brandon Scherff (No. 68) Tyler Shatley (No. 69) Cole Van Lanen (No. 70) Walker Little (No. 72) Blake Hance (No. 73) Cam Robinson (No. 74)
Cooper Hodges (No. 75) Anton Harrison (No. 76) Josh Wells (No. 77) Ben Bartch (No. 78) Luke Fortner (No. 79) Kevin Austin Jr. (No. 80)
Seth Williams (No. 81) Elijah Cooks (No. 84) Brenton Strange (No. 85) Gerrit Prince (No. 86) Jaray Jenkins (No. 87) Oliver Martin (No. 88)
Luke Farrell (No. 89) Henry Mondeaux (No. 90) Dawuane Smoot (No. 91) Jordan Smith (No. 92) Tyler Lacy (No. 93) Folorunso Fatukasi (No. 94)
Roy Robertson-Harris (No. 95) Adam Gotsis (No. 96) Michael Dogbe (No. 98) Jeremiah Ledbetter (No. 99) Brandon McManus Jacob Harris
Josh Pederson

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Trent Baalke: Drafting a TE isn’t an ‘absolute necessity’ for Jaguars

Jaguars brass say they aren’t too concerned about the team’s current group of tight ends.

The Jacksonville Jaguars used the franchise tag to keep tight end Evan Engram, but the position is still lacking after the team allowed both Chris Manhertz and Dan Arnold to reach free agency.

The only tight ends on the roster other than Engram are Luke Farrell, who has 11 receptions through two NFL seasons, and Gerrit Prince, an undrafted addition who never saw the field as a rookie in 2022.

Despite the lackluster depth behind Engram, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke isn’t too worried about the state of the tight end position in Jacksonville.

“We’re going to look to build that room and get as strong as we can,” Baalke said of the team’s tight ends Thursday. “We don’t feel that it’s an absolute necessity to add to that room, but if there’s an opportunity to add to it, we will.”

Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer and Utah’s Dalton Kincaid have often been paired with the Jaguars in mock drafts; however, the team hasn’t done much to spend time with tight ends in the lead up to the draft.

On Thursday, Baalke told reporters that talks on a multi-year extension with Engram are trending in the right direction. Hammering out a deal with the former first-round pick would provide the Jaguars with some security at tight end, but coach Doug Pederson says that could also come from the other two on the roster.

“I’ve always tried to make our tight end room the best we can, whether we do it through the draft or free agency or trade of something of that nature,” Pederson said. “We still feel like Evan [Engram], Luke [Farrell], and Gerrit [Prince] right now, the three we have, we know we’ll bring guys in for camp and compete there. That’s a strong room.

“Yeah, there’s two young players there, but we’ve got a lot of high expectations for those players as well and they know that.”

The Jaguars haven’t drafted a tight end in the first two rounds since picking Marcedes Lewis with the 28th overall selection in 2006.

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Jaguars 2022 training camp preview: Tight ends

The Jags have a lot of new faces in their tight end room, but this may possibly be the most athletic group they’ve ever had.

With training camp just five days away, it’s time to start previewing every position on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster. We started with the quarterback position last week and the running back position a few days ago. Now, it’s time to move to another skill position in Doug Pederson’s offense, which is the tight end position. 

The Jags currently have seven tight ends on the roster. Four of them are veterans, and three are undrafted free agents. Of the veterans, Evan Engram was a signing the team made this year in free agency, while the rest of the veterans are returning from last season. That means the Jags are entering camp with a total of four new additions to the tight end room, which has been overhauled completely these last two seasons. 

Here is a preview of the Jags’ full tight end room as we close in on ca

TE Gerrit Prince labeled as Jags’ most exciting UDFA acquisition

Gerrit Prince is one of the more interesting undrafted rookie free agents the Jags signed and Bleacher Report placed him on their list of UDFA’s they are the most excited about.

A lot of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ success will depend on the additions they made in free agency and the draft. However, it certainly would help if they can find some gems in undrafted free agency as they did with former Jags Allen Hurns and Keelan Cole.

The Jags signed just under 20 undrafted players days after the 2022 NFL Draft concluded, and there were several names who they brought in who have potential. The most notable one was Notre Dame receiver Kevin Austin, who had a draftable grade in the eyes of many experts.

However, he’s not the undrafted addition that Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski is the most excited about. That label goes to tight end Gerrit Prince from the University of Birmingham Alabama.

Here is what Sobleski had to say about putting Prince on his list when looking around the league for one undrafted standout on each team.

Prince led all FBS tight ends last season with an average of 19.5 yards per reception. His 10 touchdowns tied for third among the position group.

At 6’5″ and 240 pounds, Prince isn’t a traditional in-line option. He needs to improve his play strength and possibly add bulk to provide much of anything as blocker. However, he runs a sub-4.7-second 40-yard dash, can threaten the seam and creates after the catch.

Prince is a good choice on Sobleski’s part because Jags coach Doug Pederson loves to utilize the tight end position. Additionally, the team could afford to start developing a player at the tight end position because Evan Engram and Dan Arnold, who are their top-2 tight ends, are only signed through this season.

As mentioned above, Prince’s speed stands out on film, but it isn’t just because he can stretch the field vertically, but also because it helps him after the catch.

Prince finished 2021 with 36 catches for 699 yards, so he was an important target for the Blazers. He will have a chance to impress the staff during the offseason workout program and training camp, and if he can display the receiving skills he had at UAB, it could make it hard for Pederson not to want Prince on the final roster.

Cardinals bringing in UAB TE Gerrit Prince for official visit

The former receiver averaged nearly 20 yards a reception in 2021.

The Arizona Cardinals have begun to schedule the 30 NFL draft prospects they can bring in for official top-30 visits. They are permitted to bring in 30 prospects for overnight visits, have them tour the facilities, eat dinner with them and more.

Some names that come up might be surprising. It is a mix of players they are considering early in the draft and sometimes it is to develop a relationship with a player they like who could go undrafted.

The Cardinals, who have signed three tight ends in free agency this offseason and have had a look at other tight end prospects, have an official visit with one.

According to The Draft Network’s Justin Melo, the Cardinals have a top-30 visit scheduled with UAB tight end Gerrit Prince.

He is 6-4 1/2 and 240 lbs. He caught 36 passes for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, averaging 19.4 yards per reception. He is a former receiver.

He can catch the ball and runs well. He is a willing blocker but isn’t that great at it or strong.

He is likely, at best, a late Day 3 pick, but he probably will go undrafted.

The Cardinals appear to be making a concerted effort to add talent at tight end. As the draft wraps up and undarfetd rookies get signed, pay attention to where this kid lands.

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