Before the NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars were among the teams with the most roster spots open. But after signing 20 undrafted free agents, they only needed two more players to get to comply with the 90-man limit. They've since added three and found a creative way to keep an extra one.
The team announced changed the status of wide receiver Louis Rees-Zammit from active to Exempt/International Player. This allowed them to free up one roster spot and keep Rees-Zammit without using an extra slot.
With two spots open, Jacksonville signed undrafted wide receivers Darious Lassiter and Dorian Singer.
A former rugby player, Rees-Zammit joined the NFL's International Player Pathway Program in 2024. After the IPPP pro day, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a running back. He didn't make their 53-man roster last year and signed to the Jags' practice squad. After landing in Jacksonville, he switched positions to wide receiver.
At 6'1", Lassiter posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.65 and a vertical of 32 inches at the BYU pro day. Singer, on the other hand, is 5'11" and didn't run the 40-yard dash at either the NFL Scouting Combine or his pro day. Their best chance to stick around will be in the practice squad, but landing there will be an uphill battle for both.
Before signing Lassiter and Singer, the Jaguars got to 89 spots by signing veteran pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah. They'll possibly make more changes throughout the offseason or training camp, especially if they place players on the trading block. That said, they're currently set.
The Jaguars are giving their roster a makeover
By switching Louis Rees-Zammit from active to exempt, the Jacksonville Jaguars are giving themselves flexibility. It's worth noting that they're bringing in more undrafted free agents and new faces than most teams because they're undergoing a rebuild. Sure, they have Trevor Lawrence and other veteran pieces in place, but the team's brass is changing the way the past regime did things and is leaving their mark along the way.
The Jags could've kept veterans such as Christian Kirk and Evan Engram around for one more season, but they're making an effort to bring intangible-rich players. And that's the thing, the duo of head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone realized that if they wanted to turn things around, they needed to make significant changes to the way they did things and the roster.
Having filled the 90-man roster spot, the Jaguars can now turn their attention to assessing the personnel they have at hand and decide whether they'll need to make changes in the upcoming months.