If there is one thing we have learned, it is that Gene Smith has no problem telling players they are no longer wanted by the Jacksonville Jaguars.  In this series, I have been looking back one year and grading the cuts Gene made. If Gene cut the player and he hasn’t produced anywhere else, I give him an A.  If the player becomes a productive player and could have been a benefit to the team, I give Gene a D or F.

Yesterday I gave out marks for cutting Jerry Porter (A+), Reggie Williams (A), Matt Jones (A), Cleo Lemon (A), Tony Pashos (B+) and Paul Spicer (A).   Gene did well with these cuts.

Today we continue the look back and grade more of the players. After the jump, we have 8 more players to consider and not all of these are A grades for Gene. Let’s get going…

  (more…)

If you look at the positions these guys played, you can pretty much gather why they were cut even without seeing them play. Smolko was a career practice squad guy who got signed and cut by the Jaguars more than once. He was also one of eight tight ends that the Jaguars had collected. The same can be said about Broussard who had been tettering on the edge for quite some time. Even with Broussard, Edwards and J. Harvey getting the ax, the Jaguars have seven wide receivers on their current roster. There was talk of Matt Jones being one of the guys who was booted until his outstanding preseason performance. That is when it became obvious that Broussard was going to be the one to go.

The Jaguars have until August 30th to slim their roster down to the traditional 53 man roster we know and love. Several players will be playing for their job in the final preseason game against the Washington Redskins tomorrow night.

For example, Del Rio likes to keep only two quarterbacks around so that draws into question Todd Bouman‘s performance over the preseason. Bouman played well against Miami, scoring us the only two touchdowns we got that night. He may have earned himself a bench spot at third string, especially if he plays particularly well against Washington.

Wide receiver, as mentioned above, is bloated at seven. Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcutt, Matt Jones and Mike Walker have all but guaranteed themselves a spot on the roster. Jerry Porter, with his large contract, will also make the roster despite not playing due to injury. Will Del Rio want to keep a sixth one around? Troy Williamson probably hopes so.

There are other bubble guys that are looking to fill up back up spots. Jamaal Fudge (a Jacksonville native) and Pierson Prioleau (the guy who made game saving plays in both the Tampa Bay and Atlanta games) are battling at defensive back. Uche Nwaneri and Tutan Reyes are looking to fill in Brad Meester‘s spot as he recovers.

This is what preseason is about. This is what makes it interesting. Some people enjoy freaking out about the first stringer’s performance but that isn’t really the story. It is about these bubble guys who are fighting desperately to get a job doing what they love to do. It is about finding those guys who are the undrafted break out players. It is its own excitement.