JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars are wrapping up the voluntary stages of their offseason. Organized team activities are optional, but the majority of the Jags roster has been in attendance, which makes head coach Doug Pederson happy.
“The amount of guys that are here, that’s the number one thing that I look at because it’s a voluntary offseason program,” Pederson said.
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Mandatory mini camp starts next week. Pederson feels like so far this offseason has been a success. Even with near-perfect attendance, the one player that hasn’t shown up to OTAs is linebacker Josh Allen.
“He’s not taking his time off,” Pederson said. “He’s working on preparing himself.”
Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell has been in contact with Allen throughout this offseason.
“Josh is in a good place,” Caldwell said. “He’s working hard. He talks to myself and Coach Buckner so we understand where he is at.”
There is a premium on pass rushers in the NFL right now. The Jaguars lost two key rushers from last season: defensive end Dawuane Smoot is a free agent and outside linebacker Arden Key signed a three-year contract with the Tennessee Titans. Many have mentioned that the Jaguars could be in the market for a veteran pass rusher. Caldwell was asked about the possibility of that happening.
“Whatever we have here, that is what we are going to work with,” Caldwell said.
The Jaguars added to their pass rush group during the draft when they picked Yasir Abdullah. Caldwell called Abdullah a “fast ball” and that he can be a change of pace from some other rushers the Jags have on the roster.