Tag: Yasir Abdullah

5 Jaguars players limited, none absent in Thursday practice

On Thursday, the Jaguars had their entire active roster at practice for the first time this season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had their entire active roster on the practice field Thursday for the first time this season.

While the team’s injury report didn’t have any “did not participate” designations for the first time in 2023, there were still five Jaguars players who were limited. That included wide receiver Zay Jones, who continues to work his way back from a knee injury that has sidelined him since Week 5.

Cornerback Tyson Campbell, safety Andre Cisco, offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland, and special teamer Daniel Thomas were the other four players limited Thursday.

The only change on the report from Wednesday to Thursday was the return of Yasir Abdullah, who was absent earlier in the week due to an illness.

On Wednesday, Zay Jones told reporters that he was making progress in his recovery. Still, it would be a surprise if he was available to play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

For the 49ers, all eyes are on offensive tackle Trent Williams, who missed practice Wednesday due to the same ankle injury that kept him out for two games before the team’s Week 9 bye. On Thursday, he returned to the practice field, but was limited.

The addition of defensive tackle Javon Hargrave with a knee injury is also notable.

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Colts vs. Jaguars inactives: Devin Lloyd, Dawuane Smoot active Week 6

The Jaguars’ defense is officially getting a couple of players back on Sunday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars defense will officially have inside linebacker Devin Lloyd and outside linebacker Dawuane Smoot back in the lineup Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

With kickoff 90 minutes away, the Jaguars released their list of inactives for Week 6 and it didn’t have any surprises. Wide receiver Zay Jones and offensive lineman Walker Little were already ruled out by the team due to knee injuries suffered last week against the Buffalo Bills.

Fifth-round rookie Yasir Abdullah played in the first five games of the season, but is a healthy scratch for the first time with the return of Smoot. Lloyd is expected to play with a cast over his thumb after undergoing surgery.

The Colts’ most notable inactive is right tackle Braden Smith, who was ruled out by the team Friday.

Jacksonville and Indianapolis previously met in Week 1 when the Jaguars traveled to Lucas Oil Stadium and earned a 31-21 win.

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Should the Jaguars extend OLB Josh Allen before 2023 season?

The Jaguars may put themselves in a tight spot if they wait until 2024 to decide Josh Allen’s future.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a decision to make regarding outside linebacker Josh Allen.

After drafting the pass rusher seventh overall in 2019, the Jaguars got immediate results with Allen racking up 10.5 sacks and earning Pro Bowl honors as a rookie. But he hasn’t reached eight sacks in any season since.

Now, Allen is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2023 season, and the Jaguars seem to content to wait until after he plays out his rookie deal to decide his future with the franchise.

Should they, though?

Paying Allen sooner rather than later may be the more cost-effective approach to keep him in Jacksonville. It all depends on whether or not the Jaguars can envision a scenario where they let the 26-year-old pass rusher walk into free agency.

What would the Jaguars’ pass rush look without Allen?

Jacksonville is hopeful that 2022 No. 1 pick Travon Walker will develop into a headache for opposing offenses. The rest of the pass rushing options on the roster are long shots to become productive players, though.

The clear-cut best candidate is Yasir Abdullah, who was a sack machine in college despite being undersized. Early signs from Abdullah in training camp and preseason have given more reason to be optimistic about his future, but the odds are still stacked against him.

Double-digit sack artists drafted in later rounds are few and far between in the NFL. Nineteen players recorded at least 10 sacks in 2022 and 11 of them were first-round picks. Another eight were picked before the end of the fourth round. The New England Patriots’ Matthew Judon, a 2016 fifth-rounder, was the only exception.

There’s even less reason to feel encouraged about players on the Jaguars roster like K’Lavon Chaisson, who has three sacks in as many seasons, and Jordan Smith, who missed almost all of his first two years.

Barring a breakout season from at least one of those young pass rushers, the cupboard would be very bare in Jacksonville if Allen left.

Of course, the Jaguars could stock up on outside linebackers in the 2024 NFL draft. But considering the state of the roster, it doesn’t look like the team will be drafting talent in the top 10 any time soon. And it’s hard to imagine finding an upgrade from Allen on the free agent market who wouldn’t cost a fortune.

Allen will only cost more if he plays well in 2023

If the Jaguars plan to wait until 2024 to decide Allen’s future, it leaves the team in a weird place. Either Allen plays well enough to warrant an extension that’ll be much more expensive after a strong 2023, or Allen doesn’t live up to expectations and the Jaguars have a tough call to make.

Allen is a perennial team captain who was seventh in the NFL in pressures last season despite his relatively low sack total. With so many hurries and knockdowns, the numbers tell the story of a pass rusher who was much effective than seven sacks suggests and close to recording elite numbers.

But sacks pay the bills and a contract for Allen may be at its most reasonable price tag after he recorded only 17 sacks in the last three seasons.

Four years ago, the Jaguars signed linebacker Myles Jack to a massive extension a week before the start of the 2019 season. In October 2011, Jacksonville extended both Montell Owens and Michael Thomas midseason.

Allen’s too important of a player to allow to reach free agency and there’s no time like the present to get a deal done.

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Jaguars 2023 roster review: OLB Yasir Abdullah

Jaguars rookie Yasir Abdullah is undersized, but he’s determined to find success as an NFL pass rusher anyway.

The brunt of the offseason is in the books and training camp is still off on the horizon. Join us in the NFL’s dead zone with a player-by-player review of the Jaguars roster ahead of the 2023 season.

Upgrading a lackluster pass rush seemed to jump out as a top priority for the Jacksonville Jaguars entering the 2023 offseason. But instead, the team seemed content to mostly rely on the players already on the roster.

The notable exception was the addition of two-time All-ACC linebacker Yasir Abdullah.

Despite being one of the nation’s most prolific and athletic pass rushers in the collegiate ranks, Abdullah slipped to the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft due mostly to his 6’1, 234-pound frame.

Even smaller pass rushers have found NFL success in the past, but those players were the exception to the rule. Jacksonville is hopeful that Abdullah will be the latest to prove himself an outlier.

Contract (2023): $750,000 base salary, $91,304 prorated signing bonus, $841,304 cap hit.

Acquired: Jaguars drafted Abdullah with the No. 136 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft.

PFF grades:

  • 84.2 (2022 – Louisville)
  • 75.4 (2021 – Louisville)
  • 78.6 (2020 – Louisville)
  • 65.7 (2019 – Louisville)
  • 64.3 (2018 – Louisville)

Statistics:

  • 9.5 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, four forced fumbles (2022)
  • 10 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble (2021)
  • Three sacks, seven tackles for loss, three forced fumbles (2020)
  • One sack, four tackles for loss, one interception (2019)
  • Eight tackles (2018)

Highlight:

Quote: “It matters what you do on the field, no matter what size you are. There’s a lot of guys in this league that have been productive and they’re shorter than me. Like Haason Reddick … who else? There’s a lot of guys. Elvis Dumervil, James Harrison. Legends. When people talk about my height, it just gives me extra fuel and stuff to show them I can be this small, I can be this big, and I’ll still dominate.” – Abdullah

Calvin Ridley (No. 0) Travis Etienne Jr. (No. 1) Rayshawn Jenkins (No. 2) C.J. Beathard (No. 3) Tank Bigsby (No. 4) Andre Cisco (No. 5)
Chris Claybrooks (No. 6) Zay Jones (No. 7) Logan Cooke (No. 9) Parker Washington (No. 11) James McCourt (No. 12) Christian Kirk (No. 13)
Kendric Pryor (No. 14) Tim Jones (No. 15) Trevor Lawrence (No. 16) Evan Engram (No. 17) Nathan Rourke (No. 18) Sammis Reyes (No. 19)
Daniel Thomas (No. 20) Latavious Brini (No. 21) JaMycal Hasty (No. 22) Foyesade Oluokun (No. 23) Snoop Conner (No. 24) D’Ernest Johnson (No. 25)
Antonio Johnson (No. 26) Divaad Wilson (No. 27) Tevaughn Campbell (No. 29) Montaric Brown (No. 30) Darious Williams (No. 31) Tyson Campbell (No. 32)
Devin Lloyd (No. 33) Gregory Junior (No. 34) Ayo Oyelola (No. 35) Christian Braswell (No. 36) Tre Herndon (No. 37) Qadree Ollison (No. 38)
Jamal Agnew (No. 39) Erick Hallett (No. 40) Josh Allen (No. 41) Andrew Wingard (No. 42) Kaleb Hayes (No. 43) Derek Parish (No. 43)
Travon Walker (No. 44) K’Lavon Chaisson (No. 45) Ross Matiscik (No. 46) De’Shaan Dixon (No. 47) Chad Muma (No. 48) Shaquille Quarterman (No. 50)
Ventrell Miller (No. 51) DaVon Hamilton (No. 52) Willie Taylor III (No. 53) DJ Coleman (No. 54) Dequan Jackson (No. 55) Yasir Abdullah (No. 56)
Caleb Johnson (No. 57) Raymond Vohasek (No. 59) Darryl Williams (No. 60) Samuel Jackson (No. 62) Coy Cronk (No. 64) Chandler Brewer (No. 67)
Brandon Scherff (No. 68) Tyler Shatley (No. 69) Cole Van Lanen (No. 70) Walker Little (No. 72) Blake Hance (No. 73) Cam Robinson (No. 74)
Cooper Hodges (No. 75) Anton Harrison (No. 76) Josh Wells (No. 77) Ben Bartch (No. 78) Luke Fortner (No. 79) Kevin Austin Jr. (No. 80)
Seth Williams (No. 81) Elijah Cooks (No. 84) Brenton Strange (No. 85) Gerrit Prince (No. 86) Jaray Jenkins (No. 87) Oliver Martin (No. 88)
Luke Farrell (No. 89) Henry Mondeaux (No. 90) Jordan Smith (No. 92) Tyler Lacy (No. 93) Folorunso Fatukasi (No. 94) Roy Robertson-Harris (No. 95)
Adam Gotsis (No. 96) Nick Thurman (No. 97) Michael Dogbe (No. 98) Jeremiah Ledbetter (No. 99) Brandon McManus Jacob Harris
Josh Pederson

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Jaguars announce contracts for 10 of their 13 draft picks

Only three draftees are unsigned after the Jaguars announced a flurry of contracts Friday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars signed 10 draft picks Friday, announcing contracts for running back Tank Bigsby, linebacker Ventrell Miller, outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah, safety Antonio Johnson, wide receiver Parker Washington, cornerback Erick Hallett II, cornerback Christian Braswell, offensive lineman Cooper Hodges, defensive tackle Raymond Vohasek, and fullback Derek Parish.

That leaves only first-round pick Anton Harrison, second-round pick Brenton Strange, and fourth-round pick Tyler Lacy left unsigned from the team’s 2023 NFL draft class.

Strange reportedly reached a deal with the Jaguars on Friday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston, but the contract hasn’t been announced by the Jaguars yet.

Details of the rookie deals signed Friday haven’t been made public, but most of the terms of the contracts are pre-determined by the rookie wage scale written into the league’s collective bargaining agreement. An eventual deal with Harrison is expected to be for about $13.2 million over four years with a fifth-year option that’ll be impacted by play time and potential Pro Bowl appearances.

The Jaguars’ 13-player draft class is the largest in the franchise’s history. Ten of those selections came in Day 3, the most for any team in the last three drafts.

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Jaguars reportedly sign 5th round pick Yasir Abdullah

The Jaguars have a deal in place with fifth-round pick Yasir Abdullah, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Jacksonville Jaguars reached terms with another draft pick. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jaguars signed fifth-round pick Yasir Abdullah to a rookie deal.

Last week, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston reported that the Jaguars reached a deal with sixth-round pick Parker Washington. Wilson also reported Wednesday that the Jaguars have a deal in place with seventh-round pick Derek Parish. None of the three deals have been announced by the Jaguars.

Details of Abdullah’s contract weren’t revealed by Schefter, but it’s projected to be a four-year, $4,205,216 deal with a $365,216 signing bonus.

Abdullah was a highly productive pass rusher in college, racking up 23.5 sacks and 43 tackles for loss during his time at Louisville. The Jaguars finished the 2022 season near the bottom of the NFL in sacks with 35. The team hasn’t made many changes to address the issue and hasn’t yet signed a veteran after losing Arden Key in free agency.

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Jaguars 2023 draft: Projected contract for each Jacksonville pick

The contract for each player picked by the Jaguars in the 2023 NFL draft has largely been predetermined by the CBA.

The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly reached an agreement on a four-year deal with sixth-round wide receiver Parker Washington on Thursday, but that still leaves another 12 draft picks to sign.

While that may sound like a costly endeavor, the total cost of the signings shouldn’t be much. The collective sum of the 2023 cap hits for the Jaguars’ picks will exceed 10 million, but the NFL only requires teams to fit their top 51 contracts under the salary cap (as fitting 90 under the cap in the offseason would be unrealistic).

With a rookie wage scale in place and the Jaguars not picking in the top 10 for the first time in a while, the total cost of a baker’s dozen of rookie contracts isn’t much.

Here are what the 13 draftees are likely to get when they finalize their deals with the Jaguars:

2023 NFL Draft: The best draft steal for every NFL team

Every NFL draft has its selection of steals — those players who could surprise despite their low selections — and here’s one for every NFL team.

One of the many reasons the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII was the job that general manager Brett Veach did outside of the first round of the 2022 draft. Three defensive backs (Bryan Cook in the second round, Joshua Williams in the fourth, and Jaylen Watson in the seventh) were difference-makers all season, and seventh-round running back Isiah Pacheco became the team’s bellcow back down the stretch. Also, second-round receiver Skyy Moore joined Pacheco with touchdowns in that Super Bowl victory over the Eagles.

First-round hits are nice, but it’s almost worse to miss in the first round than it is better to win there from an opportunity cost perspective. If you want to refresh your roster at a championship level, you had better get those picks right on the second and third day. Veach and his staff did that, and it was the difference that made all the difference in the end.

Moving to the 2023 NFL draft, we’ve selected one second- or third-day pick for every NFL team who could have a similar impact on their NFL roaters sooner than mater. Each of these players have reasons for their relatively low picks in line with their tape, stats, and talent, but these are the kinds of finds that can turn a team around over time.

5 things to know about new Jaguars OLB Yasir Abdullah

Who is Jaguars fifth-round pick Yasir Abdullah?

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t pick a pass rusher in the first two days of the 2023 NFL draft, but added an intriguing one on Saturday when they took Louisville’s Yasir Abdullah with the first pick of the fifth round.

Abdullah was a highly productive player for the Cardinals, but landed in Day 3 due mostly to his lack of height and length.

At 6’1, 237 pounds, Abdullah will have to follow in the footsteps of rare exceptions like Haason Reddick, who have managed to rack up sacks despite not being very tall.

So who is the Jaguars’ new pass rusher who plans to defy the odds? Here are five things to know about Abdullah:

Introducing the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2023 NFL Draft class

Get to know the 13 players drafted by the Jaguars this year.

The 2023 NFL draft is in the books and the Jacksonville Jaguars added their biggest class ever.

With 13 players — 10 of which came on Day 3 — the Jaguars have a ton of rookies competing for spots on a mostly intact roster that won the AFC South in 2022.

While experts largely predicted that the Jaguars would target defensive backs and pass rushers early, the team instead spent its first three picks on offensive players.

Here’s the baker’s dozen of draftees and links to learn more about each of them: