The Jaguars have plenty of room on their roster to add competition and they aren't opposed to going a creative route to kick the tires on some additional talent to add. On Tuesday, the first day of a three-day mandatory minicamp, the Jaguars invited four players to participate on a tryout basis, including tight end Lance Kearse who hasn't put on a football helmet in nine years, according to Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
Kearse, 24, is the cousin of former-Tennessee Titans Pro Bowl defensive end Jevon Kearse, but hasn't played football since high school, when he decided to pursue basketball full-time. After joining the VCU Rams, Kearse played two seasons before transferring to join the Eckerd Tritons. The Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year signed with the Iraugi Saski Baloia Club in Spain.
In 22 professional games in Spain, Kearse averaged 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game. Now he's in Jacksonville giving the NFL a try. And how did the Jaguars discover the 6'6, 224-pound forward?
YouTube, of course.
According to Mark Long of the Associated Press, Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell checked out video clips of Kearse on the Internet and talked to his brothers. Not Kearse's brothers, but his own brothers, who have kids on the same Nike Team Florida as Kearse
While joining the team as a tryout player in June means that Kearse is a long-shot to get carried into training camp, let alone a spot on the final roster, he makes for an interesting player to watch during minicamp.