The Jacksonville Jaguars made one move on the defensive side Wednesday morning by agreeing to terms with cornerback Darious Williams, then later in the afternoon, they were able to get a deal done on offense. That deal was with a former draft pick of the team, Will Richardson, who signed a one-year deal worth $2 million.
Richardson, 26, was drafted back in 2018 in the fourth-round (No. 129 overall) by the Jags and played out his entire rookie contract with the team. It expired after last season, which allowed Richardson to temporarily hit the open market for the tampering period, but the Jags were able to still retain him for the 2022 season.
With Richardson returning, the Jags have retained two of their backup offensive lineman who were pending unrestricted free agents for 2022 in addition to starter Cam Robinson. The other backup offensive lineman they retained was Tyler Shatley, who signed a two-year deal on Feb. 28.
Richardson is a backup lineman that brings versatility into the mix as he’s played both guard and tackle for the team. He’s played in over 44 games for the Jags, but has registered a total of five starts since they selected him from N.C. State.
The returns of Richardson and Shatley are pretty significant for the Jags when considering how many games Brandon Linder and Brandon Scherff have missed in the last few seasons. Now, fans can worry a little less about the Jags offensive line depth, though they could still add more to the unit in the draft.