The Jacksonville Jaguars surprised everyone when they made two roster moves nobody saw coming in the midst of Organized Team Activities: They signed defensive end Dawuane Smoot and wide receiver Trenton Irwin. The former is pretty acquited with the Jags after spending his first seven season with them. On the other hand, the adding the latter adds competion to the bottom of the receiver depth chart. And that doesn't bode well for handful of youngsters.
Smoot will round out a pass rush that includes Travon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen, and Emmauel Ogbah. He was a pretty productive rotation piece before the injury bug struck, registering 22.5 sacks from 2019 to 2022. If he's back at full strength, he could be a valuable contributor for Jacksonville next season. On the other hand, Irwin gives an experienced option at receiver.
Irwin went undrafted in 2019 but quickly latched onto the Miami Dolphins. However, he was quickly waived and picked up by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he spent the last six years. Although the former Stanford Cardinal hardly got any targets in his first three seasons, he saw an uptick of playing time in 2022 and 2023 when injuries hit Cincy.
In that two-year span, Irwin ended hauling in 40 receptions for 547 yards with five touchdowns. However, he didn't do much of note in 2024 and was waived near the end of the season. He quickly joined the Carolina Panthers but didn't post any stats with them.
Irwin became a free agent last year, but had to wait until the Jaguars called to find a new home. Now, he'll have a chance to compete for a roster spot.
Why Trenton Irwin may or may not end up making the Jaguars 53-man roster
Trenton Irwin had a backup role during his stint with the Cincinnati Bengals and that won't change with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Four roster spots are virtually earmarked for Travis Hunter, Brian Thomas Jr., Dyami Brown, and Parker Washington on the depth chart.
Depending on how many receivers the team wants to carry in 2025, they may have one or two spots left. That would leave Irwin in a competition with Louis Rees-Zammit, rookie J.J. Jones, and Joshua Cephus among others. He will have an edge because he's the most experienced player of the bunch. That said, a glaring weakness could prevent him from making the cut: He's rarely played special teams throughout his career.
The fifth receiver will hardly ever get any targets and will surely be asked to contribute on special teams. The past six seasons, Irwin a total of 59 snaps in that phase of the game. He'll need to change that to increase his odds of earning a roster spot. On the other, the team's brass might've brought him because they weren't impressed with their young receivers.
Regardless of the reason the Jaguars signed Trenton Irwin, he'll get a legitimate shot to make the team but will have to fend off the youngsters to pull it off.