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In a bit of a surprise, the Jacksonville Jaguars plan to release veteran safety Dwight Lowery once he passes a team physical, according to a report by Mark Long of the Associated Press. While it seemed like Lowery's days as a Jaguars player were all but over when he was placed on injured reserve on Thursday, it's now just a matter of time before he's released.
It's a nice move on the part of the Jaguars front office, letting Lowery sign with another team once he's cleared medically. The team clearly has liked what they've seen from rookie safety Josh Evans and would prefer him to play out the rest of the season and grow with fellow rookie Johnathan Cyprien.
Lowery's contract for the 2013 season is guaranteed, meaning no matter what he signs for after he's released he still gets his full $3.1 million salary for the year.
The move to release Lowery makes me wonder if he was another player the team might have tried to actively shop had he not gotten injured. Lowery's contract is very manageable for a solid starting free safety. Once he passes a physical, I would imagine he'll get signed relatively soon by a team in need of safety help.
Lowery originally joined the Jaguars in 2011 via a trade with the New York Jets and signed a four-year, $13.6 million contract with $4 million guaranteed.