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.
The Jacksonville Jaguars finished the 2022 season with 26th most sacks in the NFL, but did very little to bolster their pass rushing group ahead of the 2023 season. They waited until the fifth round to add outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah and the team still hasn’t re-signed Dawuane Smoot.
However, the team did make one outside the box addition to their crop of pass rushers. In May, the team pilfered the XFL ranks and signed Willie Taylor III of the championship-winning Arlington Renegades.
In addition to four sacks and eight tackles for loss in the regular season, Taylor added another 1.5 sacks in the Renegades’ two playoff victories.
Prior to his brief XFL career, Taylor played for Washington State and transferred to Eastern Kentucky for his senior season.
Contract (2023): $750,000 base salary, $750,000 cap hit.
Acquired: Jaguars signed Taylor as a free agent on May 17, 2023.
- 66.6 (2022 – XFL)
Statistics:
- Four sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, eight tackles for loss (2022)
Highlight:
A lil quick highlight of Willie Taylor III
Hits the QBs hand last second to cause an INT!! https://t.co/lJyyR6KHie pic.twitter.com/4HuNabyH3W
— J-Villains Podcast (@JVillainsPod) May 17, 2023
Quote: “He’ll get an opportunity. Whether he’ll get drafted or not doesn’t really matter — I don’t think to me or to him. He certainly has earned it, has done a good job and will get a chance in that league. That’s all you can ask for.” – Renegades executive Rick Mueller on Taylor
