Jaguars retain Dawuane Smoot on 1-year deal worth up to $6.25 million

SMOOOOT!

Despite a reported upcoming visit with the Ravens, defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot has re-signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The deal is for one year and worth $6.25 million with $3.25 million guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport. The news was tweeted by Smoot’s agent, David Canter.

Since being drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft, Smoot has grown to be an integral piece of the Jaguars' defense. Over the past four seasons, Smoot has registered 22.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles -- many of them coming in crucial moments, such as this sack against the Raiders which sealed a Jaguars victory and broke a five-game losing streak.

In the midst of a solid 2022 season in which he logged 6 sacks and 1 forced fumble despite only playing 38.35% of defensive snaps, Smoot appeared all but guaranteed to re-sign with the Jaguars in the 2023 offseason. However, his status came into question after he tore his Achilles tendon in the Jaguars’ Week 16 game against the New York Jets.

As fans can attest, such an injury has recently boded poorly for the Jags, as ex-Jaguars running back James Robinson had his promising career derailed by a similar injury. However, defensive linemen typically fare better, and Jags fans have remained hopeful for a re-signing.

As we look forward to the upcoming season, Jags fans have a long list of players to be excited about. Fortunately, thanks to the apparent “keep the gang together” mentality of Jags GM Trent Baalke, we can now add Smoot to that list.