Kellen Clemens saw the Chargers agree to terms with Geno Smith on Sunday night, and it looks like he’ll be in need of another employer. A potential suitor emerged Monday.
The Jaguars worked out both Clemens and Austin Davis, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Jags lost longtime backup Chad Henne recently but traded for Cody Kessler.
Blake Bortles agreed to an extension to stay in Jacksonville but is recovering from offseason wrist surgery. Kessler is the only other quarterback on the Jags’ roster, so the team may have some work to do for depth purposes. They will need more arms to run offenses during OTAs at the very least, and Clemens has been one of the game’s longer-tenured backups.
This is the 34-year-old passer’s first visit this offseason. He spent the past four seasons backing up Philip Rivers and has worked in this capacity for most of his career. Although, he started nine games for the 2013 Rams in Sam Bradford‘s stead. A former second-round Jets pick, Clemens has attempted 100 passes in a season just twice in a 12-year career.
A teammate of Clemens’ in St. Loius, Davis spent the 2017 season backing up Russell Wilson in Seattle. The Seahawks remain in need of a No. 2 QB behind Wilson, and both Davis and Clemens worked under new Seattle OC Brian Schottenheimer with the Rams. So, they would be natural options to play behind Wilson. Seattle has not been connected to either quarterback thus far this offseason, however.
Davis, 28, served as the relief arm for Bradford in 2014, when he suffered another knee injury, but has not thrown a pass in a game since the 2015 season while with the Browns.
Henne spent four seasons as Bortles’ backup but signed to play behind Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. It’s likely the Jaguars will at least look at passers in this year’s draft, and with Kessler now in the picture, there might not be room for a veteran should Jacksonville take a quarterback in the middle rounds or higher. But both Henne and Davis have more experience as NFL backups than Kessler.
Who is Phillip Rivers gonna carpool with to games and practice now?
Mean Gene