AFC South Notes: Colts, Jaguars, Texans, Titans

Colts

• The Athletic’s Stephen Holder looks at the Colts’ options at quarterback going forward after the retirement of Andrew Luck, starting with a potential extension for 2019 starter Jacoby Brissett. 
• Brissett is entering the final year of his four-year, $3.41 million rookie deal, which is vastly underpaid compared to most starting quarterbacks. 
• Holder says Brissett could ask for a short-term extension that increases his salary by around $25 million (the amount it would cost when Indianapolis likely franchise-tags him next season), giving the Colts some stability going forward and himself some protection against his increased injury risk. 
• While Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and Chargers QB Philip Rivers are currently slated to be free agents, Holder writes the more likely free-agent options will be either Titans QB Marcus Mariota or Ryan Tannehill. 
• Holder adds that unless the Colts completely implode, they’re unlikely to have a high enough pick to have a shot at either Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert. They’ll have to either trade up or scout an alternative later in the draft. 
• With Luck’s contract off the books, the Colts now have $54.5 million in cap space. (Holder)

Jaguars

The Jaguars didn’t expect DE Josh Allen to be available at No. 7 overall when they picked in the first round. But the pass rusher out of Kentucky was too good to pass up on, and now Jacksonville has the positive problem of figuring out how to get him on the field alongside DEs Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell. 

“It’s obvious we have to get our best players on the field,” Jaguars DC Todd Wash said via Jacksonville.com’s John Reid. “So obviously we’ve got two very good defensive ends in Josh and Yannick. We’ve got to come up with ways to get them both on the grass at the same time. . . . We have to be able to tweak our system a little bit, but that’s our job as coaches is to put them in position to be successful and hopefully we can do.”

Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette‘s struggles over the past 12 months have been well-documented. But the former first-round pick is determined to turn his career around starting in 2019.

“I’m in a happy place right now,” Fournette said via Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne. “Way, way, way, 100 percent better. 100 percent.”

Fournette has been seen as a future star since his freshman season at LSU. The Jaguars took him with the No. 4 overall pick and he rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie. But injuries, suspensions and issue with the team derailed his second season. Fournette worked out in Wyoming this offseason trying to hit the reset button before his third year.

“It was really the first time—in my life, in football—I had a bad year. A down year,” Fournette said. “I dealt with an injury. A lot was going on. I wanted to reinvent myself.”

• NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo says Jaguars WR Terrelle Pryor is on the bubble and needs to return to the field from a hamstring injury. 

Texans

• According to the Athletic’s Jay Glazer, the reason the Texans haven’t traded LB Jadeveon Clowney to the Dolphins yet is that Clowney hasn’t signed his franchise tag to allow the move. 
• Glazer believes Clowney would rather go to a team that’s contending, not rebuilding like the Dolphins apparently appear to be. 

Titans

• According to Paul Kuharsky, the Titans could be interested in either Packers G Lane Taylor or Broncos G Don Barclay if either are released this weekend. 
• Titans traded a seventh-round pick to the Packers for OLB Reggie Gilbert. (NFLTR)
• Titans placed LB Josh Smith on injured reserve after clearing waivers. (NFLTR)