"Pat, I'd like to buy a vowel".
That's the first thing that came to my mind when I heard that the team had picked up Mkristo Bruce, an UDFA (in 2007), to play DE while the "Harvey Holdout" was underway. Well, Mkristo made the most of his opportunity and lodged 2.5 sacks in a Jaguars' preseason game earlier this year. That play earned him a spot on the practice squad once Harvey inked his deal, and Mkristo has been improving ever since.
Fast forward 14 weeks. Now, the coaching staff has decided to give him a try on the active roster, promoting him when they sent Mathis to IR. I would expect to see him on the active roster for the final four games, as I'm sure the Jags want to see exactly what they've got in Bruce. He's a tall rangy DE, but he doesn't play up to his size, hopefully that has changed. The team obviously thinks he's improved, or he wouldn't have gotten called up.
Click here for a great piece Chris did early in the season immediately following Mkristo's 2.5 sack performance.
The last 4 games of this season are all about evaluating our needs for next season. We're out of the playoff hunt, but that doesn't mean these games are meaningless by any stretch of the imagination. If Bruce can show he's ready to play in the NFL, we may have a quality DE on our hands that nobody expected. The guy has the size to play the role. He needed to become more physical and increase his pass rush maneuvers. We'll find out in the next month whether he's accomplished that.
-Collin