Jaguars add Landry Jones to the mix at quarterback
By David Levin
The Jacksonville Jaguars announced on Wednesday they have signed free-agent quarterback Landry Jones to fill the team’s open roster spot created by the team trading defensive end Dante Fowler on Tuesday.
Whether Landry Jones sees the field as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars remains to be seen, but the veteran quarterback was signed on Wednesday. Per Jaguars.com, the move was possible after the team traded fourth-year defensive end Dante Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams minutes before the NFL Trade Deadline.
The move also means the Jaguars now have three quarterbacks on their active roster along with Blake Bortles and backup Cody Kessler.
Jones, a former fourth-round draft pick out of Oklahoma was the primary backup to Steelers signal caller Ben Roethlisberger and proved to be a dependable quarterback when called upon. He started five games in five seasons for the Steelers. He completed 108 of 169 passes for 1,310 yards and eight touchdowns with seven interceptions. He has made 18 appearances for Pittsburgh in that span.
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Per Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, the move to sign Jones was done as insurance for Bortles who was injured in the game against Philadelphia in London, Bortles, who had his best game in a month on Sunday, injured his non-throwing shoulder. He is expected to play when the team comes back from its bye week to face the Indianapolis Colts on the road.
The move to bring in another arm comes a day after the NFL trade deadline which was where many analysts thought the team would seek another quarterback to compete with Bortles. Names like Tyrod Taylor, Nick Foles, and even Eli Manning were floated throughout social media and other websites as potential trade targets.
The only noise the Jaguars made on Tuesday was when they sent Fowler to the Rams for a 2019 third-round draft pick and a fifth-round pick in 2020. Two weeks ago, before the team’s last home game against the Houston Texans, Jacksonville sent a fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns to acquire running back Carlos Hyde to help shore up a beleaguered rushing attack.
Next. Jaguars trade Dante Fowler to the Los Angeles Rams. dark
Whether Jones would leapfrog Kessler on the Jaguars depth chart is not known. He started the Steelers’ regular-season finale in 2017 and completed 23 of 27 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown in a 28-24 victory over Cleveland.