The Jacksonville Jaguars have had trouble stopping opponents from scoring this season. Fortunately for them, reinforcements are on the way, as linebacker Foyesade Oluokun and safety Andrew Wingard will soon be returning from Injured Reserve.
A couple days after the Week 7 win over the New England Patriots, the Jags announced that they've activated Oluokun's and Wingard's 21-day window to return from IR. They also released cornerback Tre Flowers.
We have placed LB Foye Oluokun on the Reserve/Injured; Designated for Return List and opened Oluokun's and S Andrew Wingard's 21-day practice periods. pic.twitter.com/Vh13w2ljSG
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) October 22, 2024
Wingard suffered a knee injury in training camp and started the regular season on IR. Oluokun, on the other hand, suited up for three games before he was placed on IR while he recovered from plantar fasciitis.
Neither Oluokun nor Wingard will probably play in Week 8 but the team's decision to activate their window shows that they're close to returning.
Oluokun signed with the Jags in 2022 after spending his first four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He's been the team's leader tackler the past three years and has been named captain three times.
Wingard was an undrafted free agent in 2019. He worked his way up the depth chart and became a full-time starter in 2021. The former Wyoming Cowboy returned to a reserve role the following year but has become an integral contributor on special teams. Last year, he was named team captain.
The Jaguars defense could use Foyesade Oluokun and Andrew Wingard
While the offense is starting to hit its stride, the Jacksonville Jaguars' defense has struggled. Although they limited the New England Patriots to 16 points, they entered the game with the 31st-worst defense in the NFL. Heading into Week 8, they've already made changes.
After the Week 7 win over the New England Patriots, the team could permanently move Darnell Savage to safety, keep Jarrian Jones in the slot, and use sophomore Antonio Johnson for dime packages.
Pederson says the plan yesterday was
— John Shipley (@_John_Shipley) October 21, 2024
Savage: safety
Jarrian Jones: nickel
Antonio Johnson: dime packages.
Could be what you see moving forward.
Add the fact that Ronald Darby is now CB3 behind Montaric Brown and Tyson Campbell, and the Jags are looking for ways to tweak their secondary in an effort to bolster its play. Their linebacker corps could be next.
Once Oluokun returns, he will most likely get one of the starting spots, and sophomore Ventrell Miller needs to get the other. After all, he's been one of the bright spots on defense the past few weeks. It's also worth noting that Miller wouldn't have gotten an opportunity if Oluokun hadn't gotten hurt. But now that he's back, the coaching staff needs to consider benching Devin Lloyd and stop giving snaps to Chad Muma.
It's not that Lloyd is bad, but Miller has shown more effort and has generally been better. The Jags may be hesitant to bench the former because he was a first-round pick in 2022 but doing it could bring much-needed consistency to the defense.
On the other hand, Wingard won't likely be getting a big workload on defense, but his veteran presence could be a help, especially in light of Andre Cisco's comments about players quitting in the loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 6. Dewey is the kind of no-nonse player that won't let his teammates throw in the towel.
The Jacskonville Jaguars are 2-5 heading into Week 9. They'll need all the help they can get to hold onto a season that's quickly slipping through their fingers. Having Foyesade Oluokun and Andrew Wingard back in the fold will help.