Tag: Jay Gruden

Jags sign TE Matt Flanagan, waive/injured TE Charles Jones

The Jags made a new addition Saturday by brining in a familiar face to Jay Gruden.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made a roster transaction Saturday afternoon, signing third-year tight end Matt Flanagan. They also waived/injured tight end Charles Jones to make room on the roster for Flanagan.

Flanagan, 25, attended the University of Pittsburgh as a collegiate player and was picked up as an undrafted player by the Washington Football Team in 2018 when current Jags offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was their head coach. He didn’t play during the 2019 regular season after Washington waived/injured him in late August and he reverted to their injured reserve list. However, that eventually led to him becoming a free-agent.

Per the Jags, Flanagan will wear the No. 85. He will join a group that has notables Tyler Eifert, James O’Shaughnessy, and rookie Tyler Davis atop the depth chart.

Jags TE James O’Shaughnessy discusses his excitement about Jay Gruden’s scheme

Now that he’s back from his ACL tear from 2019, Jacksonville Jaguars tight end James O’Shaughnessy is excited to see what 2020 holds on the gridiron. A key reason for that is his eagerness to play in Jay Gruden’s new scheme, which has already …

Now that he’s back from his ACL tear from 2019, Jacksonville Jaguars tight end James O’Shaughnessy is excited to see what 2020 holds on the gridiron. A key reason for that is his eagerness to play in Jay Gruden’s new scheme, which has already implemented some things that the well-traveled veteran hasn’t seen yet.

In a digital presser with the media on Tuesday, O’Shaughnessy discussed his outlook on playing for Gruden and also discussed what he’s done to learn the new system.

“Well, [the] offense is amazing. It has a West Coast background, but it has new wrinkles that I haven’t seen before and I’ve been with some pretty good OC’s offenses before with the [Kansas City] Chiefs and the [New England] Patriots. So, I’ve seen a lot and I saw concepts I’ve never seen before and that was cool to see,” O’Shaughnessy said.

“From the tight end standpoint, watching the film, studying what they’ve done with other tight ends, like [San Francisco 49ers TE] Jordan Reed, [San Francisco 49ers TE] Vernon Davis, Eifert back in Cincinnati. I mean, there’s a lot of optimism for everybody in the room.”

The veteran playing under Bill Belichick’s and Andy Reid’s schemes is certainly nothing for fans to overlook, as both have coached some great offenses and have had great success at tight end. That said, O’Shaughnessy’s words should excite fans heading forward, especially when considering how he flourished with Gardner Minshew under center early in 2019,

With the Jags entering this offseason with concerns at tight end, the recent foot injury to Josh Oliver and Tyler Eifert’s history with injuries, fans are probably feeling nervous about the tight end position heading forward. However, if O’Shaughnessy can begin to re-establish the connection he once had with Minshew, that would help tremendously as the two linked up during a lot of crucial moments in the season.

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.

Jay Gruden says A.J. Green will love playing with Joe Burrow

The Cincinnati Bengals could have a special pairing with A.J. Green and Joe Burrow.

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The Cincinnati Bengals could have something really special on their hands with the impending connection between Joe Burrow and A.J. Green.

A guy by the name of Jay Gruden would agree.

Gruden, the former offensive coordinator who helped the Bengals draft Andy Dalton, says what he’s seen from Burrow is going to be a great thing for Green’s comeback bid.

“He’s great and he’s coming out of LSU that ran a lot of pro concepts,” Gruden said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I tell you, the happiest guy in the world had to be A.J. because Burrow throws an unbelievable deep ball … Burrow has a great top. The nose (of the ball) comes down. A.J. will love that.”

Green, who has already been running routes and texting Burrow, is a lock to show up at training camp now that he’s signed his franchise tag.
And expectations are high — which is why one analyst has predicted Green could score 15 touchdowns with Burrow under center.

Excessive or not, Gruden has a point. He’d know if Dalton or Burrow’s skill sets will help Green the most and he’d be one to ask when it comes to specifics.

And when it comes to the deep passes, Gruden sees something Green will like in Burrow.

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Former Washington safety D.J. Swearinger exposes old texts with Jay Gruden

Swearinger took the opportunity on Friday to air out old text messages with Jay Gruden, who challenged him on comments made to the media.

Were you looking for another juicy storyline to come out of Washington this week? Well, you’ve got one. Just days after the team announced that it will be retiring the controversial name and mascot, and just a day after a groundbreaking report came out accusing several staff members of sexual and verbal abuse, another story is hot off the press where one former player in Washington is calling out the former coach in Washington.

You get all of that?

It all started on Friday afternoon when former Washington safety D.J. Swearinger posted a picture of what are supposedly old text messages with Jay Gruden, who was fired midway through the 2019 season. Swearinger was released by Washington in 2018 after he publicly criticized the then-defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. Earlier that month, on December 8th, 2018, Swearinger had told reporters not to blame the players for the Redskins’ defensive struggles.

In a text message marked December 8th, Swearinger says Gruden texted him, starting the conversation with a profane message: “Wanna play? Let’s [expletive] play.”

In his caption to the post, Swearinger wrote that “As A Man You Have To Find Your Peace Through All The Negativity & Move Fwd!! I Was Gonna Give The Man A Pass but after what’s going on with that organization with women! They all need to be exposed.”

We’ll see if more current or former Washington players choose to use this opportunity to come out and expose some of their former coworkers or not. Stay tuned.

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D.J. Swearinger calls out former Washington coach Jay Gruden: ‘They all need to be exposed’

D.J. Swearinger says influential people in Washington’s NFL organization “need to be exposed.”

In the wake of a shocking Washington Post report on a sexual harassment scandal involving Washington NFL executives, former Washington safety D.J. Swearinger is calling for high-ranking members of the organization to be “exposed.”

Swearinger, now with the New Orleans Saints, shared what he claims to be a text message exchange with former Washington coach Jay Gruden, who was fired in 2019. Swearinger was released by Washington in 2018 after he publicly criticized then-defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. Earlier that month, on December 8th, 2018, Swearinger had told reporters not to blame the players for the Redskins’ defensive struggles. In a text message marked December 8th, Swearinger says Gruden texted him, starting the conversation with a profane message: “Wanna play? Let’s [expletive] play.”

In the caption, Swearinger wrote that he “was gonna give [Gruden] a pass but after what’s going on with that organization with women,” he decided to speak out about his experience.

“So Let’s Set The Record Straight on Why & How Things Went South For Me In Washington. To All My Athletes, Imagine Getting A Text Like This From Your Head Coach @ 10 @ night about an interview where you thought you handled It Professionally after getting blew Out 40-16 by Giants. This Is When I Lost Respect For The Washington Staff & Head Coach.

He Wanted Me To Act Out But I Handled It Professionally & The Next Day He Told Me That Somebody Told Him That I Said Something About him in the interview but when he watched the interview he realized that person was lying & he actually agreed with everything I said. Soooo as a player how would you look @ your coach for the rest of the season?! How can you motivate yourself to play for a guy who talks to you less than a man?!

Being the man I am I couldn’t be myself after this & that is what lead me to my last interview in which I said a few things that were true but not on the right stage or platform. Understand It’s A Cause & Effect To Everything In Life!!! As A Man You Have To Find Your Peace Through All The Negativity & Move Fwd!! I Was Gonna Give The Man A Pass but after what’s going on with that organization with women! They all need to be exposed. I have a daughter to raise!”

View this post on Instagram

#WhatTheyDontSee So Let’s Set The Record Straight on Why & How Things Went South For Me In Washington. To All My Athletes, Imagine Getting A Text Like This From Your Head Coach @ 10 @ night about an interview where you thought you handled It Professionally after getting blew Out 40-16 by Giants. This Is When I Lost Respect For The Washington Staff & Head Coach. He Wanted Me To Act Out But I Handled It Professionally & The Next Day He Told Me That Somebody Told Him That I Said Something About him in the interview but when he watched the interview he realized that person was lying & he actually agreed with everything I said. Soooo as a player how would you look @ your coach for the rest of the season?! How can you motivate yourself to play for a guy who talks to you less than a man?! Being the man I am I couldn’t be myself after this & that is what lead me to my last interview in which I said a few things that were true but not on the right stage or platform. Understand It’s A Cause & Effect To Everything In Life!!! As A Man You Have To Find Your Peace Through All The Negativity & Move Fwd!! I Was Gonna Give The Man A Pass but after what’s going on with that organization with women! They all need to be exposed. I have a daughter to raise!

A post shared by Dj Swearinger (@jungleboi_swaggg) on

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Dwayne Haskins’ QB coach details impossible situation for rookie under Jay Gruden

Haskins struggles in 2019 were well documented, but new details about his relationship with Jay Gruden are starting to come out.

Any which way you wish to look at it, Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins had a tough 2019. It started with him being drafted by a team whose coaching staff reportedly didn’t want him, then it also saw him working to fight his way past two veteran quarterbacks into the QB1 spot on the depth chart, all while dealing with a roster that was full of holes, and a leadership group that was inadequate to lead a young player.

Along the way, coaches were fired, schemes were changed, and a lot of losing took place. As we go forward, the organization seems to be a bit more stable than it was when Dwayne first arrived, but there are still some bumpy roads ahead. While he may be better equipped to handle those challenges now, some details about his struggles as a rookie are coming to light; specifically the details of disarray in Washington that was so great that it was nearly impossible for any QB to succeed, let alone a rookie.

On Tuesday, an episode of The Ringer’s ‘Ryen Russillo Show’ podcast was released, featuring an in-depth interview with Quincy Avery, Haskins’ quarterbacks coach. In the interview, Avery was asked about Haskins and his development going forward, as well as just how difficult of a rookie year he had. His answer shone some light on the real turmoil that was hoisted on the rookie’s shoulders in his first season in the NFL.

“Dwayne went through so much more than someone should have to have put on their shoulders as a rookie quarterback. You go in there and the head coach makes it known that he doesn’t like you and makes it as hard as possible for you to be the guy, and then you’ve got… It’s not like a situation where you’ve got a quarterback who just wants to help him be the guy. He didn’t go to the Washington organization and have Case [Keenum] and all of those guys say ‘Hey let’s help make you the starting quarterback.’ He was kind of on his own. It was him and the OC, Kevin O’Connell, were trying to figure it out, all while the head coach says a lot of nasty stuff about you, not only in the media, but also to the team. And [Dwayne] was trying to learn how to be a starting quarterback. The responsibility level is so much more different than anything I think people can imagine, and you’re doing that at 21 years old, leading a billion dollar franchise. It’s a lot to put on your shoulders. And I’m so excited to see the way he’s bounced back this offseason.”

It was well-known that former Washington head coach Jay Gruden — who was fired midway through the 2019 season — had little desire to groom a rookie quarterback when his job status relied on a winning season. However, hearing about the difficulty that Haskins had navigating his rookie season all while his coach was allegedly talking negatively about him is tough. Let’s just be thankful that Ron Rivera is now in place, and he seems to have a good standing relationship with Haskins and the rest of the team.

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Jay Gruden excited to see the progress Jawaan Taylor makes in second season

The Jags got a great deal of production out of their 2019 draft class but Jay Gruden seems to especially be high on RT Jawaan Taylor.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew II isn’t the only player who fans are excited about from the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2019 rookie class as the team’s early selections showed promise, too. Of course, the first name that comes to mind is Josh Allen, who beat the Jags’ rookie sack record with 10.5 and was nominated to the Pro Bowl.

The second player is someone who went under-the-radar in offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor, who already appears to have made a fan of new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. In this week’s video call with the media, Gruden was asked about rather or not he was excited about the growth of the young tackle and it led to a bunch of high praise towards him.

“One hundred percent, yes,” said Gruden in the Zoom conference. “He’s long, he’s athletic and he plays with the tenacity that you love from a tackle. I am very excited to get to work with him at right tackle. He can run, he can pull, he can get out there on screens, he’s physical in the running game and he can pass protect, he’s got great feet. He’s got every quality that you want in an offensive tackle and the more experience he gets and handing some of the movement up front, the better he’s going to be.”

Talk about high praise for the second-year player.

Gruden’s fondness towards Taylor isn’t shocking when looking at what he had in Washington. On the blindside for his group was Trent Williams, who was a massive force at 6-foot-5, 318 pounds. While Taylor (6-foot-5, 312-pounds) plays on the opposite side, the traits that Gruden explained are very identical to those of Williams, who is a seven-time Pro Bowler.

Taylor will be coming off a rookie season where he struggled early and garnered 16 total penalties, good for second in the league. However, during the last quarter of the season, he played significantly better and many have been excited to see his growth in 2020. He also proved to be an ironman for the Jags and was the only rookie in the league to play in 100% of his snaps, so Gruden also is probably impressed with his toughness, too.

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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Gardner Minshew on Jags’ doubters: ‘I think it should put a chip on everybody’s shoulder’

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t projected to do all that great this season by the national media due to losing a lot of veterans this offseason. The good people over at BetMGM aren’t too high on them eithe r as the team is projected to win only five …

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t projected to do all that great this season by the national media due to losing a lot of veterans this offseason. The good people over at BetMGM aren’t too high on them either as the team is projected to win only five games.

Of course, the players on the Jags’ roster aren’t trying to hear the negativity. As the quarterback of the team, Gardner Minshew II especially is ready to prove the doubters wrong and believes his comrades will be motivated by those who believe the Jags won’t make any progress.

“I think it should put a chip on everybody’s shoulder on our team, know being kind of counted out like that,” said Minshew Thursday. “I think we do have a lot to prove, prove that we are not what anybody says about us, the only people that really know, the only peoples whose opinions matter is who is in that huddle, who is on that team and I think we are going to set those expectations for ourselves and not worry about what anybody else has to say about us.”

In addition to the veterans they’ve lost, one could certainly understand why the Jags are being doubted as they’ve only had one winning season out of Dave Caldwell’s seven-year tenure. Additionally, they could be without pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who is currently not seeing eye-to-eye with the front office.

Another concern that has been brought up by fans is the shortage of additions made offensively around Minshew. While the team did get tight end Tyler Eifert and drafted receivers Laviska Shenault Jr. and Collin Johnson, some are concerned about the Jags not adding a new starter on the offensive line. Sure, fourth-round pick Ben Bartch could be the No. 1 right guard but the team views him more as a project for now.

Regardless, Minshew seems very confident in the pieces around him. The reason for that is because the unit seems to be buying into new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, who has a respectable track record with quarterbacks and young offenses. That said, if Gruden can tap into the Jags’ offensive potential, they could be well on the way to making a lot of people national pundits eat their words.