The Jacksonville Jaguars locked up linebacker BJ Ojulary just a couple days after their 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. While their pass rush wasn't in immediate need of upgrades, Ojulary is an intriguing talent that showcased upside before injuries held him back the past two years. When the news was reported, though, the Jags had no spots available on the 53-man roster and hadn't made a move to pave the way for him. We now know how they made room for him on the team.
B.J. Green II left the Browns game with an elbow injury and didn't return. It looks like he's going to need time to recover, so the Jags announced that they've placed him on the Injured Reserve list, meaning that the former Colorado Buffalo will have to sit out at least four games.
Then again, the news isn't necessarily surprising when you take into account that head coach Liam Coen stated that it was going to take a bit of time for Green to return. What came as a bit of a surprise was that the Jags signed Ojulari to the practice squad and used Green's roster spot for sophomore Jack Kiser.
The Jaguars made room for Jack Kiser by placing B.J. Green II on IR
Liam Coen met with the local media the day after the win over the Browns. When discussing injuries, the second-year head coach stated that B.J. Green II will miss time.
"Yeah, it's probably gonna be a little bit," Coen told reporters (14:39 mark). "We'll figure it out, but we fully expect Brian Thomas Jr. to be active this week, probably."
A little bit ultimately turned out to be at least four weeks. On the other hand, it didn't make sense to keep Green on the active roster knowing that he wasn't going to be able to contribute in the short term.
On the other hand, Jack Kiser, a fourth-round pick in 2025, missed training camp after suffering a knee injury on the first day of practice. He was waived on cutdown day and brought back on the practice squad.
With Green out of the picture, the Jaguars will try to get BJ Ojulari acclimated as much as possible. A second-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, Ojulari showed pass-rush potential as a rookie, registering four sacks in his rookie campaign. However, an ACL tear forced him to miss the following season, and injuries limited him to just eight games in 2025.
Then, the Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur as the head coach in 2026 and showed that Ojulari wasn't part of their plans when he was kicked to the curb on cutdown day. The former LSU Tiger now gets a fresh start and a chance to rebuild his stock in Duval.
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With B.J. Green II out, expect the Jaguars to lean on BJ Ojulari
BJ Ojulari was expected to bounce back in training camp after barely suiting up for the Cardinals the past two years. However, he wasn't able to do enough to earn a roster spot. That said, the Marietti, Georgia native was a second-round pick for a reason, and the Jaguars wouldn't have signed him if he didn't have any upside.
Ojulari can rush the quarterback from a two-point stance but can also drop in coverage. That kind of versatility could help him carve out a niche on the team's pass rush either behind linebacker Dennis Gardeck or at the line of scrimmage as the No. 3 behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen.
On the other hand, Ojulari's arrival doesn't bode well for either Bryan Thomas Jr. or Wesley Williams. Both rookies were inactives for the season opener and may not get much playing time after Ojulari's arrival.
Ideally, the Jaguars will get B.J. Green II sooner rather than later, but bringing in BJ Ojulari will help overcome his absence. On top of that, they might've acquired a player who could become an important piece of their pass-rush rotation.
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