Joe Giles-Harris

Jaguars Cut LB Malcolm Smith

The Jaguars are cutting veteran linebacker Malcolm Smith, per a team announcement. The Jags signed Smith at the end of October, and he lasted two games with the team. He did not register a statistic with Jacksonville, and he appeared in 29 special teams snaps.

The last couple of years have been rough for Smith, who memorably took home the Super Bowl XLVIII MVP award as a member of the Seahawks. He signed a two-year, $7.5MM pact with the Raiders in March 2015, and though he was a full-time starter for the Silver-and-Black and compiled over 100 tackles in both of his seasons in Oakland, advanced metrics were not terribly fond of his play.

Nevertheless, he was able to parlay his strong raw statistics with the Raiders into a five-year, $26.5MM deal with the 49ers in March 2017. But he missed the entire 2017 campaign due to a torn pectoral muscle, and he was cut by the 49ers before the start of the 2019 campaign despite having agreed to a pay cut earlier in the year. The 30-year-old will now look to catch on with another club in need of veteran LB depth.

In a related move, the Jags signed fellow linebacker Joe Giles-Harris to their practice squad. Jacksonville cut Giles-Harris over the weekend to make room for wideout Michael Walker, but they clearly want to keep him in the fold.

More transactions could be in the offing, as the club has an open spot on its 53-man roster and on its practice squad.

Jaguars Promote WR Michael Walker

The Jaguars needed some reinforcement at receiver, so they’ve turned to their practice squad. ESPN’s Michael DiRocco reports that the team has promoted wideout Michael Walker. The Jaguars cut linebacker Joe Giles-Harris to make room on the active roster.

Walker, a 23-year-old rookie out of Boston College, will likely slide to the back of the depth chart. More notably, his addition to the roster is an indication that Dede Westbrook might not be ready to go for tomorrow’s London showdown against the Texans. The 25-year-old suffered a shoulder and neck injury during the Jaguars’ Week 8 victory over the Jets.

The Jaguars placed wideout Marqise Lee on the injured reserve earlier this week. If Westbrook is unable to play, Gardner Minshew will be eyeing a limited receivers corps led by DJ Chark, Chris Conley, and Keelan Cole.

Giles-Harris joined the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent out of Duke this past offseason. He was added to the practice squad following the preseason, and he was promoted to the active roster in late October. There’s a good chance the 22-year-old lands back on the practice squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/22/19

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed off Jaguars’ practice squad: DT Eli Ankou

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings 

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/3/19

Here are today’s minor moves:

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars Sign 21 Undrafted Free Agents

The Jaguars have become the third NFL team — joining the Steelers and Chargers — to announced their crop of undrafted free agent signings following the conclusion of the 2019 draft. Jacksonville agreed to terms with the following 21 UDFAs:

Saivion Smith, in particular, is an interesting addition for the Jaguars, as he’d been mentioned as a possible third-round pick earlier this year. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com pegged Smith as a Round 4 or 5 selection, noting the Alabama product’s ability as a press-man corner but cautioning that he must improve his consistency. Simth could compete for snaps behind incumbent Jacksonville corners Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, and D.J. Hayden.