Tag: Matthew Jackson

Titans lead NFL in offensive snaps played by rookies since Week 8

Since Week 8, no team in the NFL has seen more offensive snaps from rookies than the Titans.

The Tennessee Titans have sneakily had one of the better and more productive rookie classes this season.

This has been a very encouraging development in Ran Carthon’s first year as general manager. Prior to his arrival, the Titans suffered through some truly horrendous draft classes in recent years, with the jury still being out on the 2022 class.

This year’s crop of rookies has been headlined by their first three picks, all of whom have shown the ability to be true building blocks for the future: left guard Peter Skoronski, quarterback Will Levis and running back Tyjae Spears.

You also have tight end Josh Whyle and offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan, who are raw players with loads of untapped potential in their own right.

The five of them have been the main rookie contributors, and they’re the reason why the Titans lead the NFL in most rookie snaps on offense since Week 8.

Over that span, the Titans’ first-year players have played a total of 862 snaps:

  • Levis: 282
  • Skoronski: 278
  • Spears: 144
  • Duncan: 78
  • Whyle: 69
  • WR Colton Dowell: 10
  • DB Matthew Jackson: 1

Jackson’s one snap is based on a technicality when the team ran a fake punt.

The Titans have produced 45 more rookie snaps than any other offense in the league, with the Chicago Bears (817), Green Bay Packers (740), Houston Texans (717) Carolina and Panthers (714) following behind them.

Not only are these young players getting valuable experience, but the Titans will have a good idea of how much they can depend on them as the team transitions into the future in 2024.

Barring any injuries, it’s a safe bet that the Titans will remain at or near the top of this list for the rest of the season.

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Titans sign Matthew Jackson, Jonathan Ward to practice squad

The Titans brought back two recently-waived players on the practice squad on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Titans made two additions to their practice squad on Tuesday, with the team bringing back running back Jonathan Ward and safety Matthew Jackson. Both were waived prior to the Week 11 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After appearing in three games for Tennessee last season, Ward was brought back this past offseason but suffered an injury during training camp that led to his being waived.

He was brought back on the practice squad late last month before eventually being promoted to the active roster. Ward has played in two games for the Titans this season.

Jackson was an undrafted free-agent signing of the Titans and was one of the bigger surprises on the initial 53-man roster. The Eastern Kentucky product has played two snaps on defense and 133 on special teams.

Tennessee made three moves in total on Tuesday, with the team also waiving defensive lineman Jaleel Johnson, who took to Twitter to voice his frustration with the situation in Nashville after.

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Jaguars announce 10 undrafted free agent additions

The Jaguars’ list of 10 undrafted signings includes three receivers, two players named Jackson, and two players from UCF.

Update: After announcing Eastern Kentucky linebacker Matthew Jackson as one of their signings, the Jaguars have since removed him from the list. He is reportedly set to join the Tennessee Titans instead.

The Jacksonville Jaguars added 13 players during the 2023 NFL draft and rounded out the roster with 10 more rookies signed in undrafted free agency.

The list, which was mostly reported immediately after the draft ended Saturday, includes three wide receivers, three linebackers, two players named Jackson, and two from UCF:

  • Jayson Ademilola, DT, Notre Dame — 6’3, 285
  • D.J. Coleman, OLB, Missouri — 6’5, 263
  • Elijah Cooks, WR, San Jose State — 6’4, 215
  • Kaleb Hayes, CB, BYU — 6’0, 195
  • Dequan Jackson, LB, Colorado State — 6’1, 225
  • Samuel Jackson, OL, UCF — 6’6, 325
  • Jaray Jenkins, WR, LSU — 6’2, 200
  • Oliver Martin, WR, Nebraska — 6’1, 200
  • Leonard Taylor, TE, Cincinnati — 6’5, 255
  • Divaad Wilson, CB, UCF — 6’0, 195

To make room for the 10 additions, the Jaguars released safety Tyree Gillespie and offensive lineman Jimmy Murray. Gillespie was on the field for 28 special teams snaps with the Jaguars during the 2022 season. Murray spent the year on the practice squad.

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