Jaguars “protect” four practice-squad players for Week 1

Today, the jaguars designated four practice-squad players to be “protected” for their game on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

Due to the difficult nature of the 2020 season surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, teams are allowed to designate up to four players as “protected”, not eligible to sign a contract with any other club until one day following the week’s game - for the Jaguars this week that will be Monday.

“If, after having been protected, a player is not elevated to his club’s active/inactive list, he is free to terminate his Practice Player Contract to sign an NFL Player Contract with any club upon the conclusion of his club’s game or at 12:01 a.m., on the day following his club’s game, whichever is later,” the rules read.

If a player is activated, he will have to wait until 4:01 p.m. the next day after he’s reverted to the practice squad to terminate his contract.

The four players included on the list are, running back Nathan Cottrell, tight ends Ben Ellefson and Matt Flanagan and cornerback Sidney Jones. Jones was signed to the team’s practice squad earlier today, while Ellefson, Flanagan and Cottrell were brought in during the team’s initial practice-squad signing day. Only Jones has not spent time with the team prior to this week.

The NFL has allowed the team to retain 16 players for this year’s practice squad, allowing the teams to field six veterans of any NFL experience as well. This will allow teams to have more flexibility with their team’s game-day roster than ever before. To read about the players signed to the Jaguars’ practice squad, and more rules, click here.

The list linked above includes the 14 players that remain on the team’s practice squad. Earlier today, the Jaguars signed Jones and former Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale. The team elevated quarterback Mike Glennon from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, and placed linebacker Quincy Williams on the team’s reserve/injured list.