The Jacksonville Jaguars have a busy week ahead of them. The NFL’s tampering period will begin on Monday, which allows teams to negotiate with the agents of players who are on the open market.
With the Jags signing former Ohio State and Florida coach Urban Meyer, many have speculated that some of his former college players could join him in the pros. When looking at the list of names like Alex Smith, Joe Hayden, Janoris Jenkins, Curtis Samuel, and many others, there are a variety of names Meyer is familiar with who can help the Jags after going 1-15 in 2020.
The media asked Meyer about the potential of bringing in his former players at The Players Championship golf tournament Friday. He broke down some key elements that will play into those decisions, which is the insight his assistants can provide and whether they would be a fit for their respective groups.
“I’m waking up in the middle of the night staring at the ceiling trying to put this … all of us are trying to put this thing together,” Meyer said. “You just look at the history, which I have, just looking through the history of the NFL, how many chances do you get to build a roster like we are? You have cap space, 11 draft picks. You can’t screw it up, man. You got to get the right people…”
Ultimately [our assistant coaches] are in charge of who goes in their room. You mentioned Janoris [Jenkins] and Raekwon McMillan, I got a bunch of former players out there who I would love to get, but I got to make sure they fit in that room.”
When putting his staff together, Meyer did a good job of mixing NFL assistants with college assistants. His three coordinators, Joe Cullen, Darrell Bevell, and Brian Schneider, have all been in the NFL for at least 13 years. Meyer will have heavy discussions with them in particular in terms of his former players, and after putting their minds together, they should all be able to come up with a solid answer.
As for the players Meyer mentioned in particular on Friday, it feels like Jenkins has the highest probability to end up with the Jags. He was cut by the New Orleans Saints this week, which gives the Jags a chance to add a player into their young secondary who has been in the NFL nine seasons. Jenkins, who was a former second-round pick for the St. Louis Rams, has started in 125 games, a mark nobody in the secondary comes close to.
At the same time, Jenkins is 32 years of age, and the Jags could find a younger option on the market, although they may not know Meyer. With them leading the NFL in cap space, they could sign a player like William Jackson III, who is not only a younger player but a better one in the eyes of most.
Raekwon McMillan, who played for Meyer at Ohio State, might be even less of a fit. With the Jags set to start Myles Jack and Joe Schobert as interior linebackers, a team could give McMillan more snaps than the Jags could because he’s only 25 years of age. However, if he wanted to try another linebacker position and is fine with a rotation, there may be a spot for him with the Jags.
Ultimately, we’ll have to play the waiting game to see what Meyer is cooking up in terms of reunions. There are several of his former players who would be great to help the team improve while also providing experience, both of which are things the Jags desperately need.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Agv-0ARoRU