Tag: Josiah Deguara

Jaguars sign TE to active roster among Week 4 roster moves

Jaguars sign TE to active roster among Week 4 roster moves

While starting linebacker Foyesade Oluokun’s placement on the Jaguars’ injured reserve stole the spotlight of Jacksonville’s Saturday news dump before facing the Texans in Houston on Sunday, it was one of five moves the club made as it prepares for its first AFC South matchup of the season.

The Jaguars also signed practice squad tight end Josiah Deguara to their active roster, promoted practice squad cornerback Christian Braswell and linebacker Tanner Muse to the active roster via standard elevation, and downgraded starting safety Darnell Savage Jr. (quadriceps) from questionable to out of Week 4.

Deguara, who was promoted to the active roster via standard practice squad elevation in Week 3, will play for the second consecutive week, offering Jacksonville tight end depth as starter Evan Engram (hamstring) is set to miss his third game. He takes the roster spot vacated by Oluokun.

Deguara caught one pass for eight yards in the Jaguars’ 47-10, Monday Night Football loss to the Bills, increasing his career line to 48 receptions for 444 yards and two touchdowns, the vast majority of which he compiled over four seasons with the Packers.

Braswell jumps to the active roster for a third consecutive game as Savage continues to recover from the injury he suffered in practice during Week 2.

A sixth-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 2023, Braswell has logged five tackles this season after appearing in three games but not producing a statistic as a rookie.

Muse’s promotion pairs with Oluokun’s injured reserve placement and fellow starting linebacker Devin Lloyd appearing on the injury report with knee soreness this week. Lloyd enters Week 4 questionable to play.

Muse has recorded 22 total tackles since his third-round draft selection by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, over 23 games and one start with Seattle and the Los Angeles Chargers. He has also spent time with Pittsburgh.

Jaguars make two P.S. elevations before MNF vs. Bills

Jaguars make two P.S. elevations before MNF vs. Bills

The Jaguars promoted tight end Josiah Deguara and defensive back Christian Braswell from their practice squad to the active roster ahead of Jacksonville’s Monday Night Football matchup with Buffalo, bolstering their depth at each position with starters Evan Engram and Darnell Savage Jr. injured and unavailable for Week 3.

Both promotions were made via standard elevation.

Jacksonville ruled Engram (hamstring) out on Saturday and downgraded Savage (quadriceps) from questionable to out on Sunday.

Deguara, who spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with Green Bay, signed with Jacksonville this offseason and joined the Jaguars’ practice squad following preseason roster cuts in August.

In 50 appearances and 10 starts with the Packers, Deguara caught 47 passes for 436 yards and two touchdowns.

Braswell joins Jacksonville’s active roster for the second week in a row, filling out the cornerback room. Rookie corner Jarrian Jones played exclusively as a slot cornerback in place of Savage, a hybrid safety and nickel, in Week 2.

Jacksonville’s seventh-round, No. 202 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Braswell has appeared in four games with the Jaguars, having logged 14 special teams snaps.

Jaguars signing former Packers TE Josiah Deguara to 1-year deal

The Jaguars are adding former third-round pick Josiah Deguara to their tight end room.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are adding former Green Bay Packers tight end Josiah Deguara on a one-year deal, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Deguara, a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, caught 47 passes for 436 yards and two touchdowns in his four seasons with the Packers.

While he may not offer the Jaguars much help as a receiver, he could earn a spot on the roster for his prowess as a run blocker and a special teamer. More than half of Deguara’s 212 offensive snaps in 2023 were on run plays (117) and he was a core special teamer for the Packers.

With a new kickoff rule in place, it will be important for NFL teams to find players capable of bottling up opposing returners and the Jaguars will want to find players who can help spring Devin Duvernay free.

As a tight end, Deguara will have a hard time climbing up the depth chart. The Jaguars have a star at the top in Evan Engram and invested a second-round pick into Brenton Strange. There’s also Luke Farrell, who similarly contributed most often as a run blocker and special teamer.

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Former Packers TE Josiah Deguara signing with Jaguars

The Packers are losing free agent TE Josiah Deguara to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Former Green Bay Packers tight end Josiah Deguara is signing a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

Deguara was a third-round pick of the Packers in the 2020 draft. He played in 50 games (10 starts) and was on the field for 832 offensive snaps and 559 special teams snaps across four seasons with the Packers.

Deguara suffered a season-ending knee injury after only two games as a rookie. He returned and played in 48 games over the last three seasons, but his impact — both as a blocker and receiver — never really blossomed.

In Matt LaFleur’s offense, Deguara operated mostly as a hybrid fullback/tight end, or H-back. He caught 47 passes on 58 targets for 436 yards and two touchdowns.

In 2023, Deguara caught only eight passes and was on the field for fewer than 20 percent of the offense’s snaps. He did finish third on the team in special teams snaps (219).

Deguara joins safety/slot cornerback Darnell Savage as the second Packers free agent to sign with the Jaguars this offseason.

The Packers developed undrafted free agent Henry Pearson in the H-back role last season. Brian Gutekunst is returning Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft and Ben Sims at tight end, and Tyler Davis re-signed on a one-year deal.

Packers TE Josiah Deguara’s role shrinking on offense

Josiah Deguara has been on the field for only 23 offensive snaps over the last three weeks.

Over the last three weeks, Josiah Deguara’s role on the Green Bay Packers offense has been dwindling, and following the Pittsburgh game, is nearly non-existent.

Through the first six games of the Packers season, Deguara was averaging 20.5 snaps per game. In the last three, he has a grand total of only 23 offensive snaps, including just five this past Sunday.

To a degree, I would guess that Deguara somewhat being phased out of the offense as the season progressed may have always been a part of the plan with the Packers spending a second-round pick on Luke Musgrave, a third-round pick on Tucker Kraft, and claiming rookie Ben Sims off waivers following roster cutdowns.

However, I’m not so sure that it was part of the plan to have Deguara’s playing time fall of cliff so quickly either. This result is likely a partial product of the progression that the team has seen from both Musgrave and Kraft, but also the play of Deguara.

For the most part, Deguara has been a non-factor in the passing game, catching eight targets, four of which came in one game, at 8.1 yards per catch. As a blocker, which is his primary responsibility, Deguara ranks 50th out of 83 eligible tight ends in PFF’s run-blocking grade, while in pass protection, he ranks 81st.

On special teams, he ranks 44th out of 51 Packers players in overall grade, and a missed blocking assignment that led to Anders Carlson’s extra point attempt being blocked in Pittsburgh.

“We gotta get our eyes on our work and make sure that we punch the near shoulder of the widest rusher,” coach Matt LaFleur said about the blocked extra point.

No, PFF’s grades are not the be-all-end-all, but if a player is performing well, they often reflect that. And the same can be said for poor performances as well. Deguara’s main playing time now comes when the Packers want a fullback on the field.

With such a young group of tight ends, a position that comes with a steep learning curve, Deguara was never going to be the answer for the Packers this season. It’s clear, that they wanted Musgrave and Kraft to see as much playing time as possible and were going to live with the inconsistencies that came with relying on so much inexperience at this position. With that said, I’m sure that there was some hope that Deguara would be able to provide at least some stability through this transition.

In recent weeks, the offense is really starting to feel the downfield impact of Musgrave in the passing game with four explosive pass catches over the last two games. Both Musgrave and Kraft have also progressed as blockers, playing a key role in an improved run game for the Packers.

“They’ve improved a lot,” said Adam Stenavich of Musgrave and Kraft. “I think that’s one of the biggest things as we’ve gotten going, I think our run game has gotten better and better every week. They have just as much to do with that as anybody with just how they are improving. They still have a long ways to go. There’s no doubt about that, but I do see a lot of strides those guys are making. Just holding down the edge and being physical.”

Along with Deguara’s role shrinking, it looks like Sims’ role has as well. Early in the season, he was ahead of Kraft in terms of snap counts, but played just five snaps against Los Angeles and didn’t play at all versus the Steelers.

Deguara is currently playing out the final year of his rookie deal, and will be a free agent during the 2024 offseason.

Packers TE Josiah Deguara makes ‘major miscue’ on blocked PAT vs. Steelers

Packers TE Josiah Deguara made a “major miscue” on the critical blocked PAT against the Steelers.

Green Bay Packers tight end Josiah Deguara made a critical error while in protection on a blocked extra point during Sunday’s 23-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Deguara, lined up as the widest protection player to the left of the field goal protection group, allowed Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson to get around the corner and block the extra point following Jayden Reed’s 35-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

“We gotta get our eyes on our work and make sure that we punch the near shoulder of the widest rusher,” coach Matt LaFleur said Monday.

Deguara hesitated and didn’t get nearly enough of Peterson, who flew past mostly unaffected. With no player threatening inside his right shoulder, Deguara’s job is to make sure the outside rusher is forced wide and away from the kick.

LaFleur described the mistake as a “major miscue” in a game filled with missed opportunities.

The block kept the game at 17-13, and the lost point in the first half ended up being huge in the fourth quarter as the Packers drove the field and were in field goal range on the final drive. Instead of attempting a game-tying field goal, the Packers had to go for a touchdown from the 16-yard line, and Jordan Love was intercepted as time expired. The Steelers had seven players lined up in coverage defending the end zone.

Deguara, now in his fourth year, has played 24 snaps on field goal protection this season and 61 in his career.

Here’s the blocked extra point:

Packers return WR Dontayvion Wicks, lose TE Josiah Deguara to open Thursday’s practice

Rookie WR Dontayvion Wicks returned to practice Thursday, but TE Josiah Deguara was out with a new calf injury.

The Green Bay Packers returned rookie receiver Dontayvion Wicks but were without tight end Josiah Deguara to open Thursday’s practice, the seventh of training camp.

Wicks missed four practices after suffering a concussion. The fifth-round pick was back in full pads on Thursday. While he now has ground to make up at receiver, opportunities remain available behind Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed. Wicks missed only two padded practices and should be available for Family Night at Lambeau Field on Saturday night.

Deguara is being held out due to a new calf injury. He exited Tuesday’s practice, and now we know why. A versatile H-back type, Deguara is the most experienced tight end on the roster and has been running with the first-team offense throughout training camp. The Packers would suddenly be thin on depth and exceedingly inexperienced at tight end if Deguara has to miss significant time. The only other tight ends on the roster are rookies Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, first-year player Austin Allen and Tyler Davis. Deguara’s absence could open more opportunities for Henry Pearson, a rookie from Appalachian State who has played fullback for Matt LaFleur to open camp.

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NFC North Roundtable: Player to avoid in dynasty fantasy football leagues

Our NFC North wire editors answered the question of which player you should avoid in dynasty fantasy football leagues.

The Chicago Bears are building around Justin Fields, the Detroit Lions are entering the season as betting favorites to win the division, the Green Bay Packers are transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love and the Minnesota Vikings are attempting to repeat as division champs for the first time since 2008-09.

There’s a lot going on in the NFC North this season.

In the latest of a series of posts previewing the division ahead of the 2023 season, Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire, Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, Zach Kruse of Packers Wire and Tyler Forness of Vikings Wire answered the question: What player should you avoid in dynasty fantasy football leagues?

NFL draft history: Every player selected with the 94th overall pick since 2000

We’re looking at every prospect selected with the 94th overall pick since the 2000 NFL Draft and the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances of landing an impact player.

The Eagles need impact players on both sides of the ball, and with two first-round picks in this month’s draft, Howie Roseman will have another opportunity to add depth to a Super Bowl-caliber roster.

With so much parity in college football now, third-round picks offer an opportunity to land a dynamic player, but the list of No. 94 overall picks has left much to be desired.

With the NFL draft fast approaching, we’re looking at every player selected with the 94th pick since 2000.

Packers add TE Josiah Deguara to Week 18 injury report with new calf injury

Packers TE Josiah Deguara was a DNP during Thursday’s practice because of a new calf injury.

The Green Bay Packers added tight end Josiah Deguara to the team’s Week 18 injury report with a new calf injury. Deguara was a non-participant during Thursday’s practice.

Considering he wasn’t listed on the first injury report of the week, Deguara likely suffered the injury at some point during Wednesday’s jog-through practice.

Tight end Marcedes Lewis (veteran’s rest) was the only other player who didn’t practice on Thursday. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was off on Wednesday, returned in a full capacity.

Deguara, now in his third year, has played 245 snaps from scrimmage this season, mostly as an on-the-move run blocker for coach Matt LaFleur. The 2020 third-round pick has 13 catches on 15 targets for 114 yards and zero touchdowns on 98 routes run this season. Deguara has also played 193 special teams snaps, the fifth-most on the roster in 2022.

If Deguara can’t play against the Detroit Lions in the season finale, the Packers may need more from reserve tight end Tyler Davis, who can probably handle some of the move-blocking assignments. Rich Bisaccia would also need to find a backup to play on kickoff return, punt return and punt coverage, Deguara’s main special teams roles.

On the positive side, all six players who were limited on Wednesday – left tackle David Bakhtiari, left guard Elgton Jenkins, running back Aaron Jones, right tackle Yosh Nijman, kickoff returner/cornerback Keisean Nixon and receiver Christian Watson – all practiced again on Thursday.

The Lions were without center Frank Ragnow and defensive lineman Michael Brockers on Thursday.

The Packers and Lions will provide a final injury report with injury designations on Friday. It’s possible Deguara will be the only player with a designation on the Packers’ final report in Week 18.

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