Before the regular season, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Kaevon Merriweather to their practice squad. They promoted him to the active roster for their Week 5 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Merriweather ended up playing a substantial role in the not-pretty but gritty win, and the Jags liked were pleased enough with what they saw that they've given him a promotion.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Jacksonville just signed Merriweather to the 53-man roster. As of this writing, the team hasn't announced the move, but it's only a matter of time before it does.
It's also worth noting that the Jaguars didn't have a roster spot open, so they will need to make room. Either they'll release someone or place left tackle Anton Harrison on the Injured Reserve list. The latter is a realistic possibility when you take into account that he'll undergo arthroscopic surgery and will miss three to five weeks or the remainder of the year.
Why the Jaguars signed Kaevon Merriweather to the active roster
After going undrafted in 2023, Kaevon Merriweather signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They waived him in 2025, and he spent the remainder of the season with the Houston Texans. The former Iowa Hawkeye was waived on cutdown day and latched onto Jacksonville not long after. He has appeared in 44 games with one start throughout his NFL career.
The Jags promoted Merriweather against Philadelphia because they had just placed Caleb Ransaw on the Injured Reserve, and Eric Murray was in concussion protocol. He ended up logging 34 percent of the team's defensive snaps and 44 percent of the snaps on special teams.
It's worth noting that rookie Jalen Huskey was active for the game but didn't log a single snap on defense. The fact that Jacksonville signed Merriweather to the active roster is a sign that Huskey has his work cut out before he's thrust into action.
You may also like: The Brazil call of Cam Little's field will get Jags fans hyped up
Kaevon Merriweather gives the Jaguars insurance at safety
Kaevon Merriweather was the Jaguars' primary backup at safety behind Rayuan Lane III and Antonio Johnson in Week 5. Once Eric Murray is back, though, he'll step back and have a reduced role on defense. Still, Merriweather could carve out a niche on special teams.
Having said that, concussions are always tricky, so it's hard to tell when Murray will be back. For the time being, though, Merriweather will help hold the fort.
The Jaguars had a pretty good safety group to start the season, but injuries are quickly depleting the position. The good news is that Kaevon Merriweather will help them soften the blow.
Add us as a preferred source on Google