The Jacksonville Jaguars added another piece to their wide receiver room on Tuesday, signing former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Trenton Irwin.
So, what do we make of the Jaguars' new addition? We break it down below.
The obvious takeaway from Irwin being added to the roster is that he could easily compete for the No. 5 wide receiver role. He has played a depth role with the Bengals in recent years and profiles as a No. 5 wideout who can block, line up inside and outside, and provide some servicable snaps in a pinch.
Irwin has not played a ton of special teams in his career -- he returned 21 kicks during his time with the Bengals -- but could potentially fit into that equation as well. If anything, the Jaguars turned up the heat on the battle for the No. 5 wide receiver spot with this addition.
This is another case of the Jaguars' leaders such as Liam Coen and James Gladstone finding players who are a clear scheme fit before they even walk in the building. The reason for that is because Irwin -- just like Nick Mullens, Hunter Long, and Johnny Mundt -- played in a version of the Sean McVay offense with the Bengals.
Every offense is different, and every head coach and play-caller puts their own spin on things. Coen's offense isn't a direct copy of McVay's, nor is Kevin O'Connell's or Zac Taylor's. But their strong roots mean there are certainly a lot of similar aspects, and this is the exact offense Irwin has played in for the last several years.
If there is a "hole" on the Jaguars' offensive depth chart right now, it is certainly at wide receiver once you get past the top four names in Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, Dyami Brown, and Parker Washington. The Jaguars have a host of undrafted rookies, a second-year Joshua Cephus and veteran slot receiver Austin Trammell once you get past that group, and it has been clear this is an area the Jaguars probably needed to address.
While Irwin is far from a wildly productive player, he does at least offer more experience and production than any of the other depth receivers on the roster. The Jaguars needed a player like that to fill out the depth chart behind his starters, and Irwin seems like just the type of player they needed to take on the role.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins have been a team that opposing sides have been watching all offseason long. Pittsburgh has a few veteran players who could be on the move via trade, and it could see the front office be very active. With the Penguins in full rebuild mode, the team seems to be looking ahead to the future. One player that has been discussed in different deals is veteran defenseman Erik Karlsson. Karlsson still has two years remaining on his current contract, including this upcoming season. The veteran is owed $11.5 million in each year, so any team that would trade for him would need to take on his high salary. According to NHL insider Shayna Goldman, the options for the Penguins in any potential Karlsson trade have started to dwindle. But the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators were mentioned as potential options to land the star defender. Last season with the Penguins, Karlsson scored 11 goals and 42 assists over 82 games. Karlsson showed impressive production for Pittsburgh, and he could be a valuable asset to any team that would trade for him. At this point in his career, Karlsson likely wants to play for a contending team. Both the Hurricanes and Senators could provide him with this, with both sides making the playoffs last season. Pittsburgh could likely net some strong future assets in any Karlsson deal, giving them more of a path forward. Trading for a player like Karlsson could be risky due to his age, but this could also be a move to help push a team over the hump in the quest to win a Stanley Cup title.
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