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Jaguars close to signing DT Grady Jackson

By River City Rage
Grady Jackson: Newest Jaguar?

The Times-Union reports that the Jaguars are close to signing Free Agent DT Grady Jackson.  

You know, the guy cut from Atlanta for not being on the same page with Bobby Petrino?  The huge 345 lb run stuffer?

We're dangerously thin on our Defensive line, especially with Spicer playing more on the edge.  Last week we only had three DT's available and Derek Landri is not quite ready for a full time spot in the rotation.  Currently we've got Stroud, Henderson, Landri, Tony McDaniel (injured last week) and Rob Meier who are listed as DT's.  Paul Spicer can fill in, just like Rob can play inside and out.  However, with Reggie Hayward injured, the emphasis has been on the DE rotation.

Clearly we have a need at DT, especially if we're going to hold up until David gets back.

Here's the Scouting Report on Grady:

Jackson is enormous, experienced and very effective against interior runs. He is a space-eater who has the mass and strength to control the line of scrimmage. He is very effective at occupying blocks and protecting his linebackers. He has strong hands and good power at the point of attack. He has enough initial quickness to get into gaps and disrupt the run. He can be a very effective one-gap player when he stays on the move. He has long arms and can extend to disengage from blocks. He is a strong tackler. But Jackson would be more effective at a lower weight. He has limited range and lacks stamina. His effort flags and he takes plays off when he gets tired. He tends to get top-heavy and lazy in his technique, failing to protect his legs. He lacks the speed and closing quickness to be a legitimate sack threat.

Being behind Stroud and Henderson might be the best thing to ever happen to this guy.  If he takes plays off when he's tired, I've got a big problem.  Fortunately, this won't be a concern if he's in the rotation, especially on "gotta run" downs.

WARNING COMPLETE SPECULATION BELOW

As reported by PFT

Is Stroud or Henderson hurt?  Is there something other than our general weakness at the position that's driving the Jaguars to rush after Grady?  I'm OK with the signing, because I recognize the value in a big run stuffer in our system.  What I worry about is that we've got a bigger problem that we're not aware of yet.

We won't get any more information until the Wednesday injury report comes out.  I bet that the Jaguars try and get a deal done before then, just to make sure that the price is low.

So I'm OK with the signing.  I think it addresses a need, and as long as the price is right, there is a place for signing older veterans.  Look at what Aaron Glenn did for us!

-Chris

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