Jaguars
New Jaguars LB Foyesade Oluokun spoke about his decision to sign with Jacksonville and is excited to get to work with his new coaches.
“I talked to [Defensive Coordinator] Mike [Caldwell], I said ‘What do you want to hang your hat on as a defense?’ Because obviously, we have to be on the same page, him and I, with what he wants and me to portray that to the rest of the unit,” Oluokun said, JaguarsWire.com. “He said he wants to stop the run. Obviously, we have a league or a conference where they run the ball well and it’s just more opportunity for me. I know how I feel, it’s definitely fun to go up against that kind of competition and that kind of talent. I tell myself a lot of times before I play a back that I feel like is good, if I go up against him, then I’ll be recognized like I’ll get that respect and it’s just fun to play against those kinds of guys. I think it’s definitely very exciting. I had a long talk with him earlier today and just minds bouncing off each other, just seeing how he sees the game and it’s similar. It’s just really exciting to really feel like I’m a part of what he has in store. He has a lot of trust in me already, so I hope to keep earning his respect, and do what I need to do out there.”
- Jaguars OL Will Richardson‘s one-year deal includes a $75,000 signing bonus, base salary of $1.847 million, $900,000 of which is guaranteed and qualifies for the veteran salary benefit. (Aaron Wilson)
Texans
With the Deshaun Watson saga finally over, at least from the Texans’ perspective, GM Nick Caserio commented on what the future holds for Houston now.
“The biggest thing yesterday provides everybody is clarity in terms of direction,” Caserio said via NFL Media. “I think Deshaun has clarity on his end relative to what his future holds from a football standpoint. I think there’s some things still on a legal front, I don’t really want to get into that, but that will have to take place. Just clarity for him individually, clarity for our organization in terms of what the expectation is moving forward and what we have in place. Really what we’re trying to do is put together a consistent winner, put together a foundation and put together a team that a lot of people can be proud of.”
“We’re excited about moving forward,” Caserio added. “That’s the big thing to take from this is to look forward, to think about what’s ahead of us. There’s a lot of work that we need to get done, no question about it. We’re a long way from where we need to be.”
For the time being, 2021 third-rounder Davis Mills will be the Texans’ starter, as they allowed Week 1 starter Tyrod Taylor to take a backup job elsewhere. Caserio added though that the Texans basically are rebuilding from the ground up and there are no guarantees for anyone on the roster, including Mills.
“We’re going to start from scratch a little bit,” he said. “I would say when you get into the draft, you really don’t want to necessarily eliminate any position or particular player. You just want to look at it with the mentality and just figure out what makes the most sense for the organization. It’s about picking good players, it’s about picking the right players that you think fit what you’re trying to do. We’ll look at everything, we’re knee-deep in that right now and we’ll have another five or six weeks left until we get to the draft to work through that process. But Davis has certainly earned an opportunity here, and that’s kind of the extent of what he’s earned. …We’re certainly cognizant of what’s going on in the league. We’ve done a lot of work and we’ll look at every option, and ultimately we’ll do what we feel is best for our situation.”
- NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports the Texans will explore options at quarterback, but the team will likely use their newly-acquired draft picks to build around Mills.
- PFN’s Aaron Wilson reports the Eagles remained interested in trading for Watson throughout the process but he was never inclined to waive his no-trade clause for them. A league source pointed out to Wilson that Watson is friends with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and wouldn’t want to take his job.
- Three first-round picks was the cover charge teams had to put on the table for Caserio to allow a meeting with Watson, but Wilson has heard other players the Texans were interested in as a part of those potential packages were Saints OL Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz, and Falcons CB AJ Terrell.
- Going forward in free agency, Wilson expects the Texans to look for a veteran running back and to continue adding linebackers and cornerbacks.
- One of Houston’s deals was a two-year, $7.5 million contract for former Lions LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who Caserio says the Texans have been eyeballing for a while: “I would say Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a player we actually identified last year in free agency. We tried to sign him, and at the time, it didn’t work itself out. He’s a player that has some of the traits and characteristics that fit our program.”
Titans
Titans HC Mike Vrabel now has WR Robert Woods on his team but had high praise for him even when Tennesee faced the Rams in Week 9 of the regular season.
“(Robert) Woods has always been a player that I personally have respected,” Vrabel said, via Turron Davenport of ESPN. “He goes out there and blocks… They (Woods and Cooper Kupp) are good route-runners, strong with the football, good after the catch…I would say that he (Kupp) and Woods are two of the best blocking wide receivers in the league. It has been impressive just to watch them not only with their route craft and what they do, but the commitment they make to blocking players. I am not talking just DBs, they are trying to block outside linebacker, cut them off or do whatever they need to do in their offense.”
- The Titans had a formal Combine interview and will also meet virtually with UAB DE Alex Wright. (Justin Melo)
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