Heading into free-agency this March, many Jacksonville Jaguars fans felt that A.J. Cann was all but gone, but to the surprise of many, the team extended him the day free-agency officially began. Regardless as to that, Cann told the Florida Times-Union that he always knew he wanted to return to the team deep down, and once the Jags began aggressively pursuing Nick Foles, that was really the case for the veteran. He also stated the he wanted stability for his young daughter Kennie Amelia, who was born a month before free-agency.
“I’m definitely glad to be back,” the veteran said. “A lot of things went on during the offseason with the team and the moves they made. This is where I wanted to be. It’s home. I’ve got a daughter here. I had to do a lot of thinking about the whole situation and I think I made the best choice for my family.”
While most fans weren’t high on the veteran’s play after watching him spend four seasons in Jacksonville, the positive that came out of the situation is that it helped to predominantly keep the starting offensive line together. It also helped the offense to retain one of their longest tenured veterans for their questionable locker room.
Now that the weight of relocating Cann’s family has been lifted off his shoulders, coach Doug Marrone told the media that he’s banking on his staff, particularly offensive line coach George Warhop, to help Cann find consistency as a player.
“He [Cann] wants to do well, but sometimes the results have been kind of up and down, and A.J. will be the first to tell you that,” Marrone said. “What we’re doing is we’re working extremely hard with A.J. to make sure we do create that consistency. That’s his goal. That’s our goal.”
If Cann can put it all together and play with the consistency that a fifth-year veteran should, it would be huge for the offense. After all, it’s exactly what they will need after coordinator John DeFilippo came out to say Leonard Fournette will be the focal point of the offense.
