The Jacksonville Jaguars waived 27 players Tuesday in their effort to trim the roster from 90 players to 53.
While the team would love to have its pick of those players when it constructs its practice squad, the Jaguars’ may not be so lucky. There’s a strong chance a handful of the team’s former players won’t be available after hitting the waiver wire.
Jacksonville will only have the chance to sign players to its practice squad after every other team has decided not to put in a waiver claim. For these six players, there’s a strong chance that won’t happen:
WR Jacob Harris
The former Los Angeles Rams tight end/wide receiver came to the Jaguars as an afterthought, joining the team’s rookie minicamp in May on a tryout contract. Not only did he earn a deal with the team, Harris made a strong push for the 53-man roster.
If it wasn’t for a ridiculously deep wide receivers room in Jacksonville (from which the team kept seven players), Harris would’ve earned a spot. But his play in camp and preseason could’ve been enough to intrigue another team.
TE Gerrit Prince
Releasing Prince may have been the most surprising move the Jaguars made on Tuesday. After keeping four tight ends on the roster a year ago, it seemed Prince was primed to join Brenton Strange in replacing Chris Manhertz and Dan Arnold.
The second-year tight end shined early in camp and drew rave reviews from coaches and teammates. While he didn’t catch many passes in preseason, he played well on special teams which seemingly clinched his place. Evidently, that wasn’t the case as Prince will hit the waiver wire Wednesday.
DB Erick Hallett II
The Jaguars drafted two defensive backs last year (Gregory Junior, Montaric Brown) and three this year (Antonio Johnson, Christian Braswell, Hallett). Four of those players made the 53-man roster on Tuesday, while Hallett was the odd one out.
Hallett had his moments, including an athletic interception in the Jaguars’ preseason finale, but there were simply too many young defensive backs and not enough spots on the roster. The Jaguars will surely want Hallett back on the practice squad, but another team may want to snag the sixth-round rookie.
QB Nathan Rourke
Everyone’s favorite preseason hero didn’t earn a spot on the 53-man roster, as the Jaguars elected to keep C.J. Beathard as the No. 2 quarterback instead.
Rourke finished preseason 23-of-35 passing with 348 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. He also pulled off one of the most incredible highlights you’ll ever see from a quarterback, preseason or otherwise.
Some time on the practice squad would do the young quarterback well, but 25-year-old passers brimming with talent don’t grow on trees. A team without much depth at the position could scoop the former CFL star up.
CB Divaad Wilson
Players like Jordan Smith and Raymond Vohasek were seemingly closer to making the 53-man roster than Wilson, but the undrafted cornerback may be the more valuable one hitting the waiver wire.
Wilson, who spoke confidently about his chances at making the roster, made a strong push. But like Hallett, Wilson was stuck with a problem of too many young cornerbacks battling for not enough spots. His 76.1 defensive grade in preseason from PFF was top 10 on the Jaguars and defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell singled Wilson out as “a guy that can possibility get in there.”
CB Kaleb Hayes
Just like Wilson, Hayes is another undrafted cornerback who couldn’t find room in the Jaguars secondary.
While he didn’t get public praise from Caldwell like Wilson did, Hayes earned even stronger grades from PFF. The former BYU defensive back’s defensive grade was second behind only Jeremiah Ledbetter among Jaguars players who played in all three preseason games. His coverage grade was third best on the team.
