The Jacksonville Jaguars have until Saturday, Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. EST to file their roster down to 53 players and have already begun to do so by making a shocking move. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the team released preseason standout Datone Jones Friday morning, making the veteran a free-agent. They also made the decisions to release cornerback Saivion Smith and veteran receiver Terrelle Pryor Sr.
Most fans and local analyst believed Jones was a lock to make the roster after having a superb preseason in which he accumulated 11 tackles and wreaked havoc in the trenches. And while some will make the argument that the Jags’ would’ve entered the season with an overcrowded defensive line rotation, having a solid rotation would’ve been a nice problem to have, especially when considering the Jags’ philosophy of being physical. Nonetheless, they’ve made a decision and the fanbase seemingly isn’t happy about it.
As for Pryor, his release isn’t that big of a shock. Sure, he brought size into the receiving corps, but he wasn’t available much this preseason and battled with hamstring issues. He only was able to play in Week 3’s game against the Miami Dolphins where he accumulated three catches for 26 yards and exited the game early due to his aforementioned hamstring issue.
Smith’s release also shouldn’t come as a surprise as he failed to stand out after the Jags picked him up as an undrafted free agent this April. While the Crimson Tide alumni was able to force a fumble Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons, cornerbacks Tae Hayes, Picasso Nelson Jr. and Breon Borders had much stronger overall preseasons and one would expect the Jags to try and retain all three on their roster and practice squad if possible.
