Jaguars sign LB Dakota Allen from “Last Chance U”, make other roster moves

The Jaguars have added two players to their active roster, signing rookie linebacker Dakota Allen off the Los Angeles Rams’ practice squad and rookie center Tyler Gauthier off New England’s practice squad, the club announced today.

As corresponding moves, the team also placed linebacker Jake Ryan and guard Brandon Thomas on injured reserve, ending their seasons.

Allen, 6-1, 232, was originally selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round (251st overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. After being waived by the team, Allen spent two games on the Oakland Raiders active roster before being waived again and eventually signed to the Rams practice squad.

Best known for starting in Netflix’s ‘Last Chance U’, Allen played collegiality for East Mississippi Community College before playing the remainder of his career at Texas Tech where he was named a team captain, totaling 73 tackles (33 solo).

Gauthier, 6-5, 305, was originally signed by New England as a rookie free agent on May 2, 2019 and was signed to the Patriots’ practice squad on Oct. 15. He played collegiality at the University of Miami (Fla.) and was a three-year starter on the offensive line, finishing his career with 29 consecutive starts, including 25 at center.

With Ryan (hamstring) being placed on the team’s reserve/injured his career in Jacksonville is likely over. After originally signing a two-year, $8M contract in the offseason, Ryan was only able to appear in two games for the Jaguars, playing primarily on special teams due to a setback on his injured knee during the offseason.

Ryan was originally placed on the team’s non-football injury list, and was activated on November 30th.

Owed $6.5M next season, the Jaguars can release Ryan and save $6M against their 2020 salary cap, a move that will be expected.