Tag: Tyler Davis

Jags injury report: TE Tyler Davis out for season opener vs. Colts

The Jags will be without just one player to open the season against the Indianapolis Colts: Tyler Davis.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be close to 100% when they take the field Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. In fact, they only had one player on the injury report in rookie tight end Tyler Davis who is dealing with a knee injury.

Davis, who the Jags drafted in the sixth-round in April’s draft, has surfaced on the injury report since Wednesday and was held out of each session.

Without Davis, the Jags currently have two tight ends on the active roster in Tyler Eifert and James O’Shaughnessy. If the staff isn’t comfortable with just those two players, both Ben Ellefson and Matt Flanagan are available on the practice squad for a call up. The Jags could also use fullback Bruce Miller as a tight end, too, if needed.

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Jags injury report: TE Tyler Davis misses second practice

Jags TE Tyler Davis may miss his first game due to an knee injury as he’s missed two days of practice this week.

The Jacksonville Jaguars only had three players to miss practice Thursday as the team inches closer to their season opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Those players were tight ends James O’Shaughnessy (veteran day off) and Tyler Davis (knee), and defensive end Adam Gotsis (veteran day off).

Rookie cornerback Josiah Scott (shoulder) also surfaced on the report as a new addition, but was a full participant.

With Davis being the only player in jeopardy of missing Sunday’s game the Jags seem to be in good shape. The only concern some might have is entering Week 1’s game with just two tight ends in O’Shaughnessy and Tyler Eifert, both of whom have had injury concerns in the past.

One thing worth noting is that the Jags have fullback Bruce Miller on the roster, who can also take on some duties at tight end if needed. The Jags also have tight ends Ben Ellefson and Matt Flanagan on practice squad if needed.

Running back Devine Ozigbo was also listed on the injury report, however, we’ve already reported that he was sent to injured reserve. To fill his spot on the roster the Jags signed former Tampa Bay Bucs running back Dare Ogunbowale.

RB Devine Ozigbo listed among 3 players on Jags’ first injury report

The Jags first injury report of the season only had three players, but one of them was RB Devine Ozigbo.

The Jacksonville Jaguars first injury report of the 2020 season only had three players on it, with one simply having a day off in tight end Tyler Eifert. The other two players to surface on the report were running back Devine Ozigbo (hamstring) and Tyler Davis (knee), both of whom didn’t practice.

Of course, when looking at the Jags’ running back situation Ozigbo’s injury is the one that sticks out. The Jags already have Ryquell Armstead on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, and according to Doug Marrone, he will be out for “a while,” which has concerned many fans.

Ozigbo is one of three running backs on the active roster alongside rookie James Robinson and Chris Thompson. They also have fullback Bruce Miller on the roster and Nathan Cottrell on the practice squad if needed.

As for Davis, his situation is worth watching, too, because the Jags would only have two tight ends left on the active roster in Eifert and James O’Shaughnessy, both of whom have injury concerns. Again, if needed Miller could serve as a tight end and the team has options on the practice squad in Ben Ellefson and Matt Flanagan.

TE Josh Oliver placed on season-ending IR after foot surgery

Josh Oliver’s season is officially over as the Jags announced he’d be going on injured reserve Thursday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that tight end Josh Oliver was officially placed on injured reserve, ending his 2020 season. This news comes after it was revealed that he broke his foot earlier in the week and had surgery to repair it on Tuesday.

This is definitely a worrisome blow to the Jags’ offense as many were eager to see what Oliver could bring to Jay Gruden’s offense after being selected in the third-round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Last year, fans didn’t get to see a lot of Oliver as a rookie, either, as he missed all of the Jags’ preseason games and the Jags’ first six regular season games with a hamstring injury. He was limited to just four games when he returned as he sustained a back injury Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts, sending him to injured reserve for the season.

Now, it’s on veterans Tyler Eifert and James O’Shaughnessy to lead the way at tight end as the No. 1 and No. 2 players at the position, respectively. That may worry fans because Eifert has missed over 50 career games, while O’Shaughnessy is coming off an ACL tear.

The Jags also drafted rookie Tyler Davis in the sixth-round out of Georgia Tech. With Oliver now out of the picture for 2020, the rookie will now get more looks and it would be huge for him if he impressed in the process of camp.

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.

Jags lock up sixth-round draft pick TE Tyler Davis

The Jags have signed a second member from their 2020 NFL Draft class in Tyler Davis, leaving 10 rookies unsigned.

According to the NFL’s transaction wire, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed sixth-round rookie tight end Tyler Davis Friday. Per Spotrac, the deal is a four-year deal worth a little over $3.4 million.

Davis initially started his collegiate career with the University of Connecticut but eventually transferred to Georgia Tech to wrap up his career. While there, he garnered 17 catches, 248 receiving yards, and a touchdown and was able to accumulate 47 catches for 500 yards and seven touchdowns with the Huskies prior.

Davis seems like a long shot to make the final 53-man roster, as veteran Tyler Eifert and second-year player Josh Oliver look to be the top guys on the depth chart. Veteran James O’Shaughnessy looks to have a high probability to make the roster, too, as he built a strong connection with Gardner Minshew last season. When factoring in all of those players, Davis’ best chance to stick will probably be through their practice squad and the team likely will try and make him a developmental player.

Davis’ signing makes for the Jags’ second from the 2020 class. They were able to come to terms with fourth-round pick and Jacksonville native Shaq Quarterman three weeks ago. With both now locked up, the Jags have 10 draft picks left to be signed.

Jags depth chart prediction: Tight end

The Jags came into 2020 with a huge need at tight end but made the key addition of Tyler Eifert which could pay off if he’s healthy.

As promised, we’ll be continuing our depth chart predictions throughout the next few days with the quarterbacks and running backs out of the way. For today’s preview, we’ll be giving our predictions for the tight end position, a spot that was of huge need when the 2019 season ended.

TE1: Tyler Eifert

Despite his history with injuries (has miss 53 career games), Tyler Eifert is one of the Jags’ biggest free-agent pickups for 2020 and he’ll be the player who is the most familiar with the offensive scheme after spending time with Jay Gruden in Cincinnati. While it’s a gamble to bank on his availability, it’s one that could pay off big for Jacksonville as he’s proven he can be a respectable target when healthy.

Eifert will be coming off a season where he played in all 16 games in 2019 and garnered 43 catches for 436 yards and three touchdowns with the Bengals. That total would be easily the most the Jags have had from the tight end position in four seasons. That said, hopefully, he can provide Gardner Minshew II with a threat in the middle of the field, something he clearly lacked during his rookie season.

TE2: Josh Oliver

The second tight end spot behind Eifert will be up for grabs and Josh Oliver should be one of the two players fighting for it. The Jags invested a third-round pick into him last year and have made it clear they have high hopes for him as a receiver.

Oliver will be coming off a season where he didn’t practice all that much with a hamstring injury and he only saw the field for four games before being placed on injured reserve with a back injury. He was only able to register three receptions for 15 yards, so there is a lot for him to prove in 2020.

TE3: James O’Shaughnessy

James O’Shaughnessy will be battling for the TE2 spot as well after ending up on IR with Oliver with a torn ACL. When he was available, O’Shaughnessy was clearly one of Minshew’s favorite targets and the two linked up for two touchdowns.

If O’Shaughnessy is healthy by the time the Jags take the field for training camp, maybe the two can pick up where they left off. That would certainly bode well for O’Shaughnessy being the guy behind Eifert if so.

TE4: Charles Jones

Charles Jones signed with the Jags last offseason after the draft as an undrafted free agent. He eventually ended up on their practice squad in September and was promoted to the 53-man roster in November. He was active for four games and only registered a catch for five yards in their season finale against the Indianapolis Colts.

Much like Oliver, he has a lot to prove in 2020. However, due to not being a high draft selection, his chances aren’t nearly as high to stick around. Still, he has a little more experience than the rookies behind him and looks more like a practice squad candidate.

TE5: Tyler Davis

Sixth-round pick Tyler Davis was one of the Jags’ 12 draft selections this offseason. He spent a majority of his collegiate career at the University of Connecticut but transferred to Georgia Tech in 2019. While there, he accumulated 17 catches for 248 yards and a touchdown and was able to register 47 catches for 500 yards and seven touchdowns with the Huskies prior.

At 6-foot-4, 252-pounds, he’ll be an interesting project for the Jags and could climb the depth chart by flashing in the preseason. In all probability, he’ll have to spend 2020 on the practice squad but could be a player who is much more polished two years down the road.

TE6: Ben Ellefson

Ben Ellefson was one of the Jags’ many undrafted free-agent additions after the 2020 NFL Draft. He wasn’t quite as productive as Davis in terms of receiving yards while in college at North Dakota State, but will be coming off two seasons where he nearly registered 200 yards. However, he also was pretty good at finding the end-zone, accumulating 16 career touchdowns.

Like Davis, he’s a practice squad candidate and his best way to stick around will be showcasing his blocking ability and showing up on special teams.

Official uniform numbers for the Jaguars’ 2020 draft class

The Jags’ 2020 rookie class uniform numbers have been made official!

The Jacksonville Jaguars used all 12 of their draft selections during the 2020 NFL Draft, bringing in seven players on defense and five on offense.

Here are the uniform numbers each player will wear as they begin their journey in the NFL:

What the nation’s top analysts said about the 2020 Jaguars’ draft class

For the most part it looks like the nation’s journalists like what the Jags did in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 NFL Draft is in the books and it certainly has been one for the ages.

This year provided an interesting spin on the draft. Due to the social distancing guidelines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the draft was done virtually with the coaches and player personnel of all 32 teams making their selections from their respective homes. Once the picks were in NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell would then read them off from his home and the rest is history.

The new format didn’t deter viewers as the 2020 NFL Draft would go on to be the highest watched in history as Day 1 and Day 2 would go on to average 11.6 million views, according to Grant Gordon of NFL.com.

The Jacksonville Jaguars were a part of this historic affair as they put together a solid draft that could see them build very well towards the future. While some teams missed the mark with their selections, here is how the nation’s best draft analysts viewed the Jags draft.

Chad Reuter, NFL.com

Overall grade: A

“Jacksonville picked up two star SEC defenders (Henderson and Chaisson) to meet critical needs in the first round, then selected worthwhile prospects in the second (Shenault) and third rounds (Hamilton) to sew up a nice first two days of the draft. They started Day 3 with Bartch, who I thought was worthy of a top-75 selection. He plays with a nasty demeanor, and should be able to line up at tackle or, eventually, slide inside if needed. Scott provides more depth in the secondary. Quarterman’s just a great football player who will start in the middle at some point in his pro career (with the Jags or someone else). Thomas is a better athlete than football player at this point, and is likely a special teamer. Johnson is a nice outside complement to Shenault. Luton will compete for playing time if Gardner Minshew falters in 2020 and should at least be a solid backup in the league for a few years.”

Ryan Dunleavy, New York Post

Grade: A-

“Tear-down-and-rebuild of an elite defense starts with the two first-rounders. Shenault is a creative play-caller’s dream and Bartch is a high-ceiling developmental project.”

Mark Maske,  Washington Post

Grade: B+

“The Jaguars seem firmly in rebuilding mode, and they pushed that process along. They landed the draft’s second-best CB, CJ Henderson, and its second-best pass rusher, K’Lavon Chaisson, in the first round. They participated in the run on WRs with the second-round choice of Laviska Shenault Jr. About all that went wrong is that the Jaguars did not find a team willing to trade for RB Leonard Fournette or pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue.

Justin Leger of Yahoo Sports writes


Grade: B

 “Henderson is a perfect pick for Jacksonville after parting ways with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye. Combine that with Chaisson at No. 20, and those are two huge additions to the Jags defense. Taking Shenault on Day 2 filled another need at wide receiver, and Hamilton bolsters their run defense. One of the better picks for Jacksonville on Day 3 was Scott, another nice addition to the secondary. Overall, a busy and effective draft for a rebuilding Jaguars squad.”

Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com (grade on Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson)

Jacksonville Jaguars: B+

“I love him because he can cover. There are so many guys in the NFL that I talked to leading up to the draft that thought he was better than Okudah.”

Nate Davis, USA TODAY

Grade: C+

“Seems they’re building toward 2021 – Trevor Lawrence? – but nevertheless picked reputable players, including first-round CB C.J. Henderson, who should address a glaring need following Ramsey’s departure. Pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson (Round 1) – taken with a pick obtained for Ramsey – and WR Laviska Shenault Jr. (Round 2) could need a transition year, which isn’t a knock but adds to the feel that this club is in a weird limbo. Speaking of which, disgruntled DE Yannick Ngakoue remains.”

Overall, the media received the Jaguars selections very well which could be an encouraging sign for things to come. It has been a tumultuous few weeks in Jacksonville with disgruntled defensive end Yannick Ngakoue battling with management and numerous accusations of the organization tanking for current Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

However, the Jaguars can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they did a solid job putting together a good, young team that could potentially compete sooner than people may think.

Highlights of every Jaguars selection in 2020 NFL draft

With the 2020 NFL Draft wrapped up, here are highlights of each selection.

Seven draftees on defense and five on offense. That’s the ratio the Jacksonville Jaguars finished with when all of their 2020 NFL Draft selections were made.

To open the draft on Day 1, the Jags selected two Southeastern Conference defenders in C.J. Henderson and K’Lavon Chaisson. On Day 2 they finally went offense by taking receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. but ended the day by going back to the defensive side with defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton.

In round four the acquired some help on the offensive line by selecting Ben Bartch, then closed the round with two more defensive selections in linebacker Shaq Quarterman and cornerback Josiah Scott. In round five they added a player on each side of the ball by taking safety Daniel Thomas, then receiver Collin Johnson.

In the sixth round, they finally went all offense by snagging quarterback Jake Luton and tight end Tyler Davis and their last selection, taking in round seven, was another defensive back in Chris Claybrooks.

Here’s a set of highlights for all 12 picks made by general manager Dave Caldwell on Thursday and the weekend:

1.9: CB C.J. Henderson, Florida

1.20: EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, Louisiana State

2.42: WR Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado

3.72: DT DaVon Hamilton, Ohio State

4.116: OL Ben Bartch, St. John