Tag: Lerentee McCray

Jags’ Charlie Strong discusses what he’s seen from former Gators Lerentee McCray, Tim Tebow

Once upon a time Charlie Strong was working alongside McCray and Tebow when they were collegiate players and now he’s doing so in the NFL.

Alongside Urban Meyer, Charlie Strong and the Florida Gators’ staff was able to build one of collegiate football’s best teams over a decade ago and the legacy that was built at the time is still strong. Now, both Meyer and Strong have found themselves working together again on the NFL level with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and two of the key players from their Gators run are once again being coached by the duo.

One of those players is pass rusher Lerenetee McCray, who was a part of Florida’s defense from 2008-12. With eight years of NFL experience to his name as a special teamer and edge rusher, Strong said he feels the former Gator is a valuable asset to the team, especially with him understanding the current staff almost better than anyone.

“We always felt like when we recruited him at Florida that he had some talent, very talented then, a guy who’s big and athletic, a guy who can run,” Strong said. “But then, just being in the league the number of years that he’s been in there has been really very impressive. You look at the things that he’s done when he was at Denver being on the special teams.

“When we first got the job here, he comes walking in my office and I just forgot that he was here and was just kind of shocked. But just seeing him work here the last few weeks, he’s been very good. I think Lerentee [McCray]’s one of those guys who’s going to give you everything he’s got, and he understands what we’re looking for because he had played for us before.”

Earlier in the week, Meyer shared some interesting insight on McCray, stating that he’s been working out at the SAM linebacker position with a few others like Leon Jacobs and K’Lavon Chaisson. That means he’s a part of a group where he’s the most experienced player by a long shot, which could bode well for him during final cuts as the Jags young team needs experience and locker room leaders.

After the Jags’ last minicamp practice, Strong was also asked about another player he knew from his time with the Gators in Tim Tebow. And while his focus has been to coach the interior linebackers as a positional assistant, Strong said that Tebow is handling himself well by his eyes.

“When you look at Teebs [Tim Tebow] and you look at just the following, you know whenever you say Tim Tebow, you know that you’re going to have just truly a mass following him, from the media to even just fans out there who want to know how he’s doing,” Strong said. “I think he’s done a very good job of just handling himself and just embracing it.

“What you wonder a lot of times when you get a player like that who’s been away from it is how is he going to be accepted in the locker room, and I think the players have done an unbelievable job at just taking him in. But he’s handled himself the right way too and he wasn’t one of those guys who tried to push himself on them. He just let everything happen and he’s done a very good job at that.”

This is certainly good to hear from a coach who knows Tebow personally and further makes the case that things probably aren’t as chaotic at the Jags facility as some have been led to believe. That’s a good thing that should allow Strong, Meyer, Tebow, and McCray to focus on bettering the Jags as the team looks to rebound from a one-win 2020 campaign. 

4 takeaways from Jags’ roster after opt out deadline

The Jags didn’t have a lot of opt outs, however, the few that they had impacted the team’s experience.

The NFL’s deadline for players to opt out officially passed at 4 p.m. EST, which now means it’s time for teams to turn their attention towards the 2020 regular season. Like most teams, the Jags were impacted to a degree, losing three veterans in linebacker and defensive end Lerentee McCray, defensive tackle Al Woods, and cornerback Rashaan Melvin for the season.

At the same time, the Jags could’ve sustained a bigger blow from their group of opt outs, as teams like the New England Patriots almost hit 10 players. All of that said, there are still some takeaways that are worth mentioning when looking at the Jags’ current roster, and here are the four that stood out the most:

Barring any changes, the Jags potentially lost their 2 oldest defensive starters

With Woods and Melvin opting out, the Jags team as a whole got a little younger. Woods was the Jags’ oldest player at 33 years-of-age, while Melvin was tied as the second oldest at 30 years-of-age with D.J. Hayden and Mike Glennon.

Barring any major moves to get replacements, the Jags could enter the season with a very young starting defense with Abry Jones (29) being the oldest player (if he beats out DaVon Hamilton). The next oldest player would be Rodney Gunter, who turned 28 in January.

DaVon Hamilton has a better chance to start now with Woods out

As mentioned above, with Woods out of the picture Hamilton and Jones are probably going to be competing to start at defensive tackle. With Jones having 47 career starts and being the team’s longest-tenured veteran, and Hamilton currently on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, Jones looks to have the advantage.

However, when Hamilton returns, he shouldn’t be counted out. While at Ohio State, the 6-foot-4, 327-pounder showed off an ability to be stout against the run and penetrate offenses.

Tre Herndon has a clear path to pick up where he left off in 2019

It initially looked as though Melvin could enter a competition to start against Tre Herndon, who started in all but two games last season. The reason for that was A.J. Bouye dealing with injuries and, of course, the Jags shipping Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams.

In the beginning, it was a little bit of an adjustment for the second-year player, but as the season went on he got better and ultimately finished 2019 with 55 tackles and three picks. Now, with Melvin opting out, the path to becoming a starter again is clearer for Herndon, unless an undrafted rookie like Luq Barcoo comes out of the woods.

The Jags’ undrafted CBs have an increased chance to make the roster

Continuing on Barcoo, it now feels like he has a good chance to make the team although it’s more likely as the fifth cornerback. He was a highly-sought-after undrafted free-agent with a draftable grade and the competition for him seemingly was stiff because the Jags gave him a record deal.

While Barcoo has a good chance to make the final 53-man roster, there will be some competitors he’ll have to fight off in fellow undrafted rookies Amari Henderson and Kobe Williams.

Henderson is a talented corner who is battle-tested coming from the Atlantic Coast Conference where he faced elite receiver prospects like Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross.

Meanwhile, Williams totaled some impressive coverage grades while at Arizona State. In fact, according to the Sun Devil’s official site, he was ranked 30th in terms of his overall cornerback grade in 2019 and had the 27th-highest grade in coverage (82.3).

 

Jags sign former Broncos DE Adam Gotsis

The Jags have made an addition after two players opted out. They announced the signing of fifth-year DE Adam Gotsis, formerly of the Broncos.

With Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end and linebacker Lerentee McCray opting out due to concerns from the coronavirus, the team made a new addition in his place. The team announced the signing of fifth-year defensive end Adam Gotsis Sunday, putting their roster at 85 players.

Gotsis was a second-round pick for the Denver Broncos in 2016 out of Georgia Tech. He spent four seasons with them, accumulating 109 tackles, 13 pass breakups, five sacks, and two forced fumbles. Last season, he participated in nine games and was able to garner 16 tackles before missing the last few games of 2019 with a knee injury.

Gotsis, a native of Melbourne, Australia, will enter his Jags tenure as the highest-drafted Australian-born player in NFL history. Before coming to America, he competed in Australian Rules Football and American Rules Football (for the Monash Warriors of Melbourne).

Gotsis will now compete with players like Aaron Lynch and Cassius Marsh for positioning on the defensive end depth chart as Josh Allen, Rodney Gunter (on early downs), and rookie K’Lavon Chaisson look to be the top edge defenders on the team.

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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LB/DE Lerentee McCray becomes second player to opt out for Jaguars

The Jags now have two players to opt out. Lerentee McCray now joins the list with veteran Al Woods.

Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker and defensive end Lerentee McCray will be opting out of the 2020 NFL season the team announced Saturday. With the veteran deciding to sit the 2020 season out because of concerns surrounding the coronavirus, he now joins veteran Al Woods as one of two Jags to opt out.

“With the health and safety of my family in mind, I have decided to opt out of the 2020 season during these trying times in ‘Our Nation.’ I will miss being there with my teammates, coaches and Jaguar personnel competing on Sundays, but I feel that God has directed my steps to make this decision,” McCray said via Jaguars.com.

“I was honored to be involved in our team’s social justice efforts during this offseason, and I look forward to continuing to support those affected in any way I can.  My family and I appreciate the understanding and support of the Jaguars organization and our fans. We are praying and working for the health and safety for this great country! #toughtimesdontlasttoughpeopledo”

McCray’s decision comes after signing a one-year deal this spring to help bolster the Jags’ special teams. Prior to 2020, the Gainesville, Fla. native had been with the team since 2017, garnering 26 tackles and 2.5 career sacks with the Jags. Before coming to Duval in 2017, McCray also spent time with the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, and Buffalo Bills.

When looking at players with similar skill sets, the Jags seem to have a few candidates who could fill McCray’s void like Aaron Lynch, who the Jags also have listed as a defensive end and linebacker. With it initially looking like Lynch was going to be a bubble player, it appears his chances to make the team have increased. He will be coming off a two-year tenure with the Chicago Bears and a four-year one with the San Francisco 49ers where he managed to garner 97 career tackles and 20 sacks.

With McCray opting out and over a handful of players on the Reserve/ COVID-19 list, the Jags’ roster figure is now at 81 players. Due to having four locker rooms to spread players out, the Jags could move closer to 85 players if they wanted, however, it’s unclear if they will add anyone after the decisions of McCray and Woods.

Jags depth chart prediction: Defensive end

With uncertainty surrounding Yannick Ngakoue, it appears the Jags have some young pieces at defensive end that could step up in 2020.

The start of training camp is just under two weeks away for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will need their defense to go into the regular season with some momentum. A key group within the unit will be the defensive ends, who make for one of the more interesting groups on the team.

As we continue our depth chart predictions, here is how we believe the defensive end position will look for the Jags:

Defensive end Big Defensive end
No. 1 *Yannick Ngakoue

Josh Allen

 Rodney Gunter
No. 2 *K’Lavon Chaisson

(See upcoming strong-side linebackers depth chart)

 Dawuane Smoot
No. 3

Cassius Marsh

(See upcoming strong-side linebackers depth chart)
No. 4 Lerentee McCray
No. 5

Of course, with the uncertainty behind Yannick Ngakoue, we put him at the No. 1 spot alongside Josh Allen. Simply put, if he plays on the tag and doesn’t miss a lot of preseason time, then he should start. If he doesn’t, Josh Allen is the guy.

Ngakoue will enter 2020 ranked second in franchise history in sacks with 37.5 on his career. He’ll enter this season with 14 forced fumbles which is good for second in franchise history, too. It will be up to him to make a decision on rather he’d like to play on the franchise tag despite being at odds with the Jags front office, and if he does, he’d be welcomed with open arms.

As for Allen, Ngakoue’s actions seems to indicate that the Jags should start focusing their attention on him to be the starter. As a part-time player, the 2019 first-round pick was impressive, beating the franchise’s rookie sack record held by Ngakoue with 10.5 and earning Pro Bowl honors. Allen was also close to winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, but Nick Bosa beat him out despite having fewer sacks.

This year’s second first-round selection, K’Lavon Chaisson, will also see snaps at defensive end and they will likely come on third-down, while he could be on the field as a strong-side linebacker on early downs. The Jags took Chaisson with the No. 20 overall selection (from the Los Angeles Rams) in April after he helped propelled the Louisiana State Tigers to a national championship. During the 2019 season, he registered 6.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss despite missing a couple of games in 2019.

Free-agent acquisition Cassius Marsh will also get a look at strong-side linebacker to start and will get snaps as a rotational defensive end, just like Chaisson. He’ll bring eight years of experience to the table with 159 career tackles and 14 forced fumbles.

As for Lerentee McCray, the Jags will use him as a special teams ace and he likely won’t see a lot of defensive snaps on the field — if at all. However, he does bring six years of experience to the table with 64 career tackles and four sacks.

As for the Jags’ big ends, free-agent Rodney Gunter should be set to start there. He’ll be filling the role of Calais Campbell, playing on the outside on early downs and possibly kicking inside on third downs. While previously with the Arizona Cardinals, he started in 38 games so it appears Gunter is battle-tested.

Smoot, on the other hand, will be entering his fourth season with the Jags and will be on a contract year. Last season was his most productive as he accumulated a career-high of six sacks while playing on the edge and interior of the line. After showing growth in 2019, there is no reason to not believe he’ll take another step, especially with the chance of a new contract in 2021.

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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NFL free agency: Former Jags TE Seth DeValve heading to Panthers

Former Jags TE Seth DeValve has found a new home with the Carolina Panthers.

The Jacksonville Jaguars entered this offseason with a need for a veteran tight end and have yet to sign one. However, they did officially lose one from their 2019 roster as the Carolina Panthers came to terms with veteran tight end Seth DeValve.

DeValve, 27, joined the Jags last September off the waiver wire after just missing the cut to be on the Cleveland Browns final 53-man roster. He participated in 12 games for the team and started in six due to their variety of injuries the team sustained at tight end. He was able to accumulate 12 catches for 140 yards in the process.

The loss of DeValve, albeit at tight end, won’t hurt the Jags all that much. Still, it will be interesting to see what they do at the position, which is clearly one of the most important for a quarterback. They’ll have players like James O’Shaughnessy and Josh Oliver returning from injured reserve but it still feels like the Jags should look to add some help in the near future.

There isn’t much on the open market but veterans Tyler Eifert, Jordan Reed, and Delanie Walker could be solid contributors if healthy. In terms of the draft, some names to watch are Thaddeus Moss, Adam Trautman, and Brycen Hopkins, all of whom could be options past round one this April.

NFL free agency: Jags agree to terms with DE/LB Lerentee McCray

The Jags look to be keeping their special teams unit in tact by bringing back Lerentee McCray who will be entering his seventh season.

After re-signing offensive lineman Tyler Shatley, the Jacksonville Jaguars continued the trend of bringing players back Friday. The team announced that they came to an agreement with linebacker/ defensive end Lerentee McCray.

McCray, 29, joined the Jags in 2017 via free agency after spending time with the Buffalo Bills and seemingly has enjoyed being back in his native state of Florida. He’s mostly established himself as a special teams player under special team coordinator Joe DeCammilis, who was his coordinator with the Denver Broncos, too.

Since joining the Jags, he’s taken the field for 182 defensive snaps and 730 on special teams. While participating in 35 games, he’s accumulated 26 total tackles and 2.5 sacks while with the Jags.

The terms of his deal haven’t been revealed but they undoubtedly will be friendly on the team’s cap. Additionally, his return gives them a veteran player who is versatile and experienced, which should benefit their young locker room in many ways.

Injury news: DE/LB Lerentee McCray sustains hamstring injury vs. Colts, questionable to return

The Jags exited the first half of their game against the Colts with an injury to one of their reserves on the defensive line.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars came into Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts relatively healthy but will leave it with at least one injury. Defensive end/ linebacker Lerentee McCray exited the first half with a hamstring injury and is questionable to return.

It’s unknown as to what play the injury was sustained on but if he can’t return the Jags have plenty of depth on defensive end with Yannick Ngakoue, Josh Allen and Dawuane Smoot.

McCray hadn’t registered any stats before the injury, however, he has five total tackles on the season.