Jacksonville

Jaguars

The Jaguars allowed Smoot’s contract to expire at the end of the 2023 season, paving the way for the Bills to bring on the veteran end. Smoot appeared in just 12 games last season due to a torn Achilles injury he suffered late in the 2022 season. He managed just 10 tackles and one sack in those games but had totaled five or more sacks in each of the previous seasons before his injury. Whether or not he’ll be able to get back to his old form is to be determined, but another year removed from injury should bode well for Smoot, who is heading into his eighth year in the league.

Slye will serve as camp competition for second-year kicker Chad Ryland, who converted on 16-of-25 field goals in his rookie season. Ryland missed 7-of-14 attempts from 40-plus yards out, a range that Slye converted on at a 71.4 percent rate last season. Slye has converted 82.3 percent of his field goals for his career and has spent the last two seasons with Washington. While he was most recently with the Jaguars, Slye never attempted a field goal for them, as he was signed back in mid-March as a free agent.

The Jaguars, after signing Gabe Davis this offseason and drafting LSU WR Brian Thomas, part ways with Jones after two seasons. Jones was a central part of the team’s passing offense over those two years, catching 116 passes for 1,144 yards and seven touchdowns. Look for Jones — who had domestic battery charges against him dropped in March — to land with another wideout-needy team in the coming weeks. The Lions, for one, profile as a good fit.

After four seasons of rotational snaps and nearly an entire season lost to injury, Proctor (6’1/199) wouldn’t earn a starting role until 2023. The Owasso HS product had 47 total tackles and 5 pass breakups in his final campaign with the Buckeyes, underwhelming production from a 25 year old draft prospect. He plays instinctively as a slot defender, looking to jump routes underneath and make plays on the ball. Although he has solid short area speed, he finds himself getting stacked by receivers downfield and is best when allowed to play close to the line of scrimmage. Due to his athletic limitations, he does not project as someone who can consistently line up against NFL tight ends and slot receivers. While he has limitations in coverage, earning only a 67.4 PFF grade, he does his job in stopping the run. His 4.0 TFL during the 2023 season shows that the sixth year safety is willing and able to sift through traffic. He fills lanes well from the secondary and generally tackles well, earning a 73 PFF grade in that department. His upside is virtually non-existent due to his advanced age and underwhelming athleticism, but special teams experience and the ability to play close to the line of scrimmage make him worth a roster spot.

Cephus (6’3/190) is a fifth-year prospect who was a solid three-year producer for UTSA. Over his final three years, Cephus posted a receiving line of 247-3202-22 while averaging 13.0 YPR. The lanky receiver displayed solid hands for his career, dropping just nine of the 433 targets he saw come his way, but he caught only 39.2 percent of his contested targets. Cephus could offer some depth as an outside receiver but is far from a lock to land on a 53-man roster.

Landry missed all of the 2023 season after his 2022 with the Saints was cut short due to an ankle injury. Landry, 31, has appeared in 21 games over his last two seasons played, catching 77 passes for 842 yards and three touchdowns over that span. A career slot receiver who has played 67.1 percent of his snaps from the slot, Landry may not find much room in a Jaguars offense that featured Evan Engram and Christian Kirk a combined 658 times in the slot last season. However, a deal with the team is far from imminent. If reports on his performance are good out of rookie camp, it’s possible he catches on with another team in need of slot receiver help.

As fantasy football writer Jakob Sanderson points out, Etienne’s option being exercised the same weekend the Jags only added return man RB Keilan Robinson in the draft makes it a good weekend for Etienne’s Dynasty league value despite coach Doug Pederson’s supposed desire to get Tank Bigsby more involved in 2024. ’23 was definitely a shaky campaign for Etienne, but he appears poised to remain the Jags’ primary backfield option on every down.

The move was a formality even after Lawrence’s stretch-run struggles. A summer extension is likely also a formality, though Lawrence is now officially under team control for two more seasons. With Brian Thomas Jr. aligning opposite Gabriel Davis on the outside, Lawrence will have a deep, varied receiver corps for 2024 despite the free agent loss of Calvin Ridley.

After four seasons at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, Cole (6’6/278) transferred to Texas Tech where he would start in all 12 games he played in. The Louisiana native had 3.5 sacks to pair with 6.5 TFL’s during his final season with the Red Raiders; rather unimpressive production for a sixth year player. He uses his massive wingspan to stack blockers and dispose of them with relative ease. Like others in the class, he sheds blocks well but does not necessarily have a solid anchor. As a pass rusher, he frequents a rip move and will use his long arms to disengage from tackles as the play develops. His pass rush moves are limited, as represented by his 63.1 PFF grade as a pass rusher, and he displayed little interest in a bull rush on tape. After a quiet career at edge, a switch to the interior with the addition of 25 or so pounds could suit him well. If he can add productive weight, play with good pad level and clean up his 23.3% missed tackle rate from 2023, he could become a successful 3 tech in the NFL.

Kicker run. Little (6’1/172) kicked for the Razorbacks for three seasons. He was perfect on his 129 PATs and connected on 53-of-64 field goals. Little closed out his career by going 4-of-5 from 50+ yards including a long of 56. He has a strong leg on both field goal tries and kickoffs, generating 53 touchbacks on 62 boots in his final season.