The Jacksonville Jaguars have a pair of talented edge rushers in Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. However, the depth behind them left a bit to be desired. Surprisingly, general manager James Gladstone opted not to make a splash free-agent acquisition at defensive end and instead brougth in a pair of undrafted free agents to bolster the position. Looking back, it looks like he hit it out of the ballpark.
Following the draft, the Jags signed Danny Striggow and B.J. Green II. Like most undrafted free agents, they had an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster. However, both of them made the most of their opportunities and put together a solid case to make the team.
The Jaguars have a pair of promising pass rushers in Danny Striggow and BJ Green II
As noted before, you don't expect undrafted free agents to make an impact right away, but it looks like neither Danny Striggow nor BJ Green II got the memo, as both of them wreak havoc in the preseason.
Daniel Griffis of Action News pointed out that Green's 34.8 pass-rush win rate led the league in the first two preseason games. He followed that up with a sack against the Miami Dolphins in the finale.
For his part, Striggow also had a sack in the finale. On top of that, he logged four pressures (and one sack vs. the Steelers) on 67 defensive snaps the first two preseason games.
Sure, neither is a lock to make the team, but they should be feeling good about their chances.
Related:4 critical observations from the presason finale vs. the Dolphins
Danny Striggow and BJ Green face hurdles to stay with the Jaguars
As impressive as Danny Striggow and BJ Green have been, there's a chance they'll be the victims of the numbers game. While the Jags did refrain from making a splash signing in free agency, they did lock up Emmanuel Ogbah after the draft and inked the familiar Dawuane Smoot not long after.
Ogah is expected to be the No. 3 behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. Smoot may or may not make the cut. If he doesn't, Striggow and Green could see their odds increase.
For the sake of the argument, let's say Jacksonville keeps five defensive ends. Two spots are earmarked for Walker and Hines-Allen. Ogbah should get the third. If the fourth goes to Smoot, that means either Striggow or Green will be left out. But if Smoot gets the boot, then both could make the cut.
The risk of releasing either Striggow or Green with the expectation of signing them to the practice squad, other teams may swoop in and get them. For that reason, James Gladstone may want to keep both around.
That said, Striggow or Green may not get much playing time even if they make the team. After all, Walker, Hines-Allen, and Ogbah will get the majority of the snaps. On the other hand, keeping the undrafted duo as depth and rotational pieces makes plenty of sense.
It's also worth noting that the Jaguars may devote an extra spot to another position, and if that's the case, either Striggow or Green could get released.
Ultimately, the fact that Danny Striggow and BJ Green are earning consideration for roster spots shows just how far they've already come in their journey, and if they do make the initial 53-man roster, James Gladstone can pat himself on the back for finding a pair of undrafted free agents instead of going into a spending spree in the offseason.
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