Jaguars urged to bolster LB depth with a familiar face from the Urban Meyer era

The Jacksonville Jaguars are currently without their top two linebackers. Veteran Foyesade Oluokun landed on the injured reserve while he deals with plantar fasciitis and Devin Lloyd is recovering from a knee injury. The former will miss at least four weeks while the latter is day-to-day.

Even though the Jags have two capable in-house replacements in Chad Muma and Ventrell Miller, they could use depth at the position. This has led Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report to suggest they bring back a familiar face from the Urban Meyer era.

Ballentine put together a list of needs for all 32 NFL teams ahead of Week 5 and believes Jacksonville could use Damien Wilson, pointing out that the former Minnesota Golden Gopher could bolster their linebacker corps.

"The Jaguars linebacker corps was bitten by the injury bug heading into Week 4. Foyesade Oluokun was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury and Devin Lloyd has been dealing with a knee injury. That leaves Ventrell Miller as the primary linebacker who is healthy and Chad Muma as the next potential guy up.

That's no good for the Jaguars. Muma has been a bitter disappointment and Miller is a bit on the smaller side. Signing a veteran like Damien Wilson who has some size and strength to him (6'1", 245 pounds) as a thumper to fill run lanes isn't a bad idea."

A fourth-round pick in the 2015 draft, Wilson spent his first four NFL seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019 and later joined the Jags in 2021. During his lone stint in Duval, the Mississippi native started all 17 games, logging 106 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble.

Although Wilson was solid in run support, he struggled in coverage, which is why the Jags let him walk in 2022. The arrival of head coach Doug Pederson might've also played a role in his departure.

Once Wilson became a free agent, he latched on to the Carolina Panthers but was released in 2023. He joined the Dallas Cowboys earlier this year but was waived before the start of the regular season. He's not garnered much interest since then and remains unsigned. That's probably why Ballentine thinks Jacksonville should give him a call.

Why the Jaguars won't consider signing Damien Wilson

The Jacksonville Jaguars could most definitely use reinforcements at linebacker, even if Devin Lloyd returns to the lineup soon. Foyesade Oluokun will sit out at least three more games, so there's currently not much depth behind Chad Muma and Ventrell Miller.

While Caleb Johnson is listed as a linebacker, he mostly contributes on special teams. That's where Damien Wilson could help. The issue with potentially signing him is that he comes with red flags. Specifically, he was arrested for threatening to kill his girlfriend in 2022. While he played for the Panthers that year, he was waived in 2023.

While it's true that Wilson did spend the offseason with the Cowboys, they didn't think he was worthy of a roster spot. The rest of the league seems to echo that sentiment. Then again, the Jaguars could consider signing him if injuries ravage their linebacker corps. On the other hand, they may not need his services if Devin Lloyd manages to return from the knee injury he's dealing with.

The bottom line is that signing Damien Wilson would be a last-resort kind of move. Right now, the Jaguars are fine with Ventrell Miller and Chad Muma in the fold, but if they experience further injuries, giving Wilson a call then becomes an option. After all, Jacksonville is currently dealing with several issues right now but help at linebacker isn't one of them.

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