Jaguars recent signing is already a cut candidate ahead of training camp

Despite the fact that the Jacksonville Jaguars cut ties with Evan Engram in the offseason, they didn't make any major moves at tight end. That was mostly because 2023 second-round pick Brenton Strange is ready to step into a featured role. That said, the Jags did brougth in Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt in free agency. On top of that, they inked Quinton Morris after the draft, so they didn't leave the position unaddressed. The only issue is that not all of them will get the nod come roster cutdown day.

After an unremarkable rookie campaign, Strange showed notable improvement in 2024 when he replaced Engram in the starting lineup, registering 40 receptions for 411 yards with two touchdowns. The former Penn State Nittany Lions has worked on his craft throughout the offseason and is poised to become TE1. Unless the team's brass devotes four spots at the position, one of them won't make the cut.

Based on comments general manager James Gladstone made, and the contracts the trio of tight ends got, it's easy to guess who may ultimately be the victim of the numbers game.

Quintin Morris may on the Jaguars roster come Week 1

One of the reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars moved on from Evan Engram was that he's not that great of a blocker, and their new offensive scheme requires their tight ends to thrive in that area. Brenton Strange certainly fits the bill, and so do Hunter Long, Quintin Morris, and Johnny Mundt.

Mundt has never had more than 19 catches in a season, while Long has eight career receptions. Morris, for his part, hauled in 15 receptions for 146 yards with three touchdowns with the Buffalo Bills the past three season. He signed with them after going undrafted in 2021 and spent his rookie campaign in the practice squad.

Now, you could make the case that Morris will get a legitimate chance in training camp, and you would be right. That said, he's got an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster. For starters, releasing him would free up $785,000 in cap space with $365,000 in dead money.

Meanwhile, cutting ties with either Hunter or Mundt wouldn't create any space and would instead accelerate cap charges of $875,000 and $5,000, respectively. Money may or may not turn out to be an issue, but it certainly doesn't give Morris an edge.

On top of that, Gladstone heaped praise on Long after signing him, pointing out that he's dealt with lots of adversity throughout his football career. Similarly, the first-time general manager outlined Mundt's familiarity with the system — he played for offensive coordinator Grant Udinski — as a reason the Jags inked him in free agency.

This begs the question, should Quintin Morris already be ruled out? No, but his odds of sticking around don't look great ahead of training camp. The fact that he will only get a finite amount of reps and chances to make an impression won't help his case. Unless he makes the most of his limited opportunities, it's hard to see him earning a spot on the initial 53-man roster.

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