Waiving Dylan Moses shows Jaguars LB corps are in transition

The Jacksonville Jaguars are giving their linebacker corps a makeover. They released Myles Jack in the dawn of free agency. They then gave Foyesade Oluokum a three-year deal worth $45 million and just now, they’ve released Dylan Moses.

The Jaguars announced on their official website that they’ve released the former All-American linebacker. Moses underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus a couple of months before last year’s selection meeting. He went undrafted and signed with the Jags. He was then placed on the Non-Football Injury list, where he spent most of his rookie campaign. He returned back to practice last December but never suited up for a game.

Moses was one of the top linebackers in college football in 2018. However, he missed the 2019 season after suffering a torn ACL. He wasn’t fully healthy in 2020 but played through the torn meniscus. He went on to appear in 12 games and log 76 total tackles, six sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. While it’s unclear why the Jags released him, it’s possible that he had a setback and wasn’t fully healthy. Or maybe he simply didn’t fit the Jaguars’ current vision.

With Moses and Jack no longer on the Jaguars’ roster, Oluokun, Tyler Adams, Elijah Sullivan, Shaquille Quarterman, Jamir Jones, and Chapelle Russell are the other linebackers under contract. The team’s brass may need to add a couple more before training camp.

The Jaguars need to add depth to their linebacker corps.

Moses never played a down in Jacksonville, so waiving him isn’t a devastating hit the Jags won’t recover from. However, the team’s brass can’t neglect the position in the upcoming months.

Both Quarterman and Russell could compete for the starting spot next to Oluokun but the Jaguars could also sign a veteran linebacker. Anthony Hitchens and Nick Kwiatkoski are still available and it wouldn’t be cost-prohibitive to sign strike a deal with either one. They could even arrange a reunion with Joe Schobert who signed a five-year deal with Jacksonville in 2020 but was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers before the start of the 2021 season.

Another alternative is to address the position in the draft. While taking a linebacker with the No. 1 overall pick is highly unlikely, the Jaguars could use any of their other 11 selections. They could take one as early as the second round but they could also look for developmental prospects in later rounds.

It will be interesting to see where Dylan Moses land next but it’s clear the Jaguars didn’t think he could contribute any time soon. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have waived him. Still, Moses was a playmaker at Alabama and if he gets healthy, he should get a shot somewhere else.