The Jacksonville Jaguars made several transactions Monday after their 30-14 loss to the Houston Texans and the most notable may have been the addition of veteran pass rusher Jabaal Sheard to their practice squad. The move came after there were some practice squad openings available due to the Jags decisions to elevate kicker Jon Brown and defensive lineman Caraun Reid to the active rosters.
We have made the following roster transactions:
▪ Promoted K Jon Brown & DL Caraun Reid to the active roster
▪ Released K Stephen Hauschka & DL Carl Davis
▪ Signed DE Jabaal Sheard to the practice squad
▪ Placed S Andrew Wingard (abdominal strain) on the reserve/injured list pic.twitter.com/sc76TEgkZN— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) October 12, 2020
Sheard’s signing comes as no surprise for several reasons. The team worked the veteran out last week, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Additionally, the team has struggled when it comes to rushing the passer partly due to being inexperienced and could use a veteran.
Sheard, who is a native of Hollywood, Fla., was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second-round of the 2011 NFL Draft (No. 37 overall) and will be entering his tenth season. After spending four years there, he spent two with the New England Patriots (2015-16) and three with the Jags’ AFC South rivals in the Indianapolis Colts (2017-19).
Sheard will enter this season with 103 career starts, 387 total tackles, and 51.5 sacks. With such experience, he shouldn’t be expected to stay on practice squad long as the Jags will probably aim to get him acclimated and in football shape before placing him on the field. Then again, if defensive end Josh Allen is unable to return Week 6 after missing Sunday’s game, Sheard could see the field as soon as Sunday as the Jags will take on the Detroit Lions at TIAA Bank Field.
