The Jacksonville Jaguars' kicking competition is over before it ever really began.
The Jaguars announced a trio of roster moves on Friday, including the release of veteran kicker Aldrick Rosas. Rosas was set to compete with incumbent starting kicking Josh Lambo for the starting role in training camp, but Rosas never turned in a training camp practice after being placed on the active/non-football injury list on Wednesday.
Rosas made 8 of 11 field goal attempts in six games with the Jaguars last year and competed with Lambo for the starting role during the offseason practices. Rosas is a former Pro Bowler who has made 81.4% of his career field goals and 92.2% of his career extra points, going 10 of 14 from 50 or more yards and 11 of 20 from 40+ yards.
Rosas was meant to push Lambo during camp following Lambo's injury-filled 2020, but Lambo has had a perfect training camp up to this point and the Jaguars seem to be comfortable moving forward with one kicker.
Jacksonville also announced the release of former starting linebacker and 2018 seventh-round selection Leon Jacobs, who started training camp on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list following a season-ending ACL injury in Week 3 of 2020.
Jacobs, who the Jaguars drafted with the No, 230 overall pick in 2018, started 12 games and accumulated 65 tackles, two sacks and a safety in his 29 games with the Jaguars. His best season came in 2019 when he recorded two sacks and four tackles for loss.
Jacobs was an ideal 4-3 strong side linebacker, but the Jaguars' chance to a more multiple defense cast his fit into doubt -- as did the fact the Jaguars already had plenty of depth at outside linebacker in Josh Allen, K'Lavon Chaisson, Jihad Ward, Jordan Smith, and Lerentee McCray.
“I tell you what, they’re working hard and we’re expecting big things from that unit and I see great improvement from Josh Allen, Jihad Ward who’s been with me before. He knows the system," defensive coordinator Joe Cullen said on Friday.
"K’Lavon Chaisson is playing fast, he knows what he is doing so our coaching has done a really good job with that and the young guys too. Jordan Smith, who we just drafted, the older guys too like Lerentee McCray. Everyone is doing a good job.”
In addition to the release of each, the Jaguars also announced the signing of second-year receiver Tevin Jones.
"Jones entered the NFL in 2016 when he signed with the Houston Texans as a rookie free agent, and he most recently played with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2021," the Jaguars said in a release.
Jones has played in five NFL games (all in 2019), catching four passes for 61 yards.
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