Jacksonville

Jaguars

Austin announced his retirement on his Instagram on Tuesday, saying “after an incredible ten years, I’m officially retiring from the NFL.” The former first-round pick was a phenom in college at West Virginia, totaling 4,446 yards from scrimmage in 52 games. The Rams selected Austin in the 2013 draft and he went on to total over 1,000 yards as a rusher, receiver, and returner each over his career. After five seasons with the Rams, he spent time with the Cowboys, 49ers, Packers, Jaguars, and Bills either on the active roster, practice squad, or offseason roster. Injuries derailed much of Austin’s career towards the end, but he will best be known as a triple-threat weapon with the Rams. Austin retires at 34, saying “just like seasons, they come to an end, and it’s time for me to enter my next chapter in life”.

Wingard suffered a knee injury in the Jaguars’ preseason game against the Chiefs and will see his absence stretch into the regular season. Wingard played in all 17 games for the Jaguars last season while making two starts. He totaled 45 tackles and one interception and has been a reliable backup for the Jaguars since joining the team as a UDFA in 2019.

Jones got the entire second half after Trevor Lawrence and C.J. Beathard. The former first-round pick’s longest completion was a nice throw on a 28-yarder to Josiah Deguara, and he was accurate and on-time with his throws; most of them of the short variety. Jones is attempting to win the backup signal-caller job from Beathard, and Saturday was a good — if not elite — showing for the 25-year-old. He’ll be back in action Saturday against the Buccaneers.

Thomas Jr. showed off his ability to make plays downfield with the 41-yard connection with C.J. Beathard. The wideout will begin the year behind Christian Kirk and Gabriel Davis and will also compete for targets from players like Evan Engram and Travis Etienne Jr., but there’s a reason Jacksonville drafted Thomas Jr. with the 23rd pick this April. He’s well worth late-round consideration in redraft formats.

Beathard came in and played essentially two quarters against the Kansas City defense after Trevor Lawrence played the first two series. The 30-year-old found Devin Duvernay for a wide open 35-yard-score, and he also found Brian Thomas Jr. for a 41-yard connection. In between there were some missed throws, but it was a decent outing in his battle to beat Mac Jones for the backup gig. Beathard will be back on the field next Saturday against the Buccaneers.

In a post to his Instagram, Foles, a former third-round pick of the Eagles in 2012, has opted to call it quits. The veteran quarterback didn’t play an NFL snap in 2023, but he is most remembered for his run as the Eagles’ starter during the 2017 season when he stepped in for an injured Carson Wentz and led the team to an unprecedented Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl LII. During that three-game playoff stretch, Foles threw for 971-6-1 while completing 72.6 percent of his passes. He was on the receiving end of the famous “Philly Special,” which helped give the Eagles a 22-12 lead over the Patriots before halftime. A journeyman quarterback who spent time with six different franchises over his career, Foles is also one of nine quarterbacks to throw for seven touchdowns in a game, which he did during a Week 9 contest against the Raiders. Foles retires with a career 29-29 record while throwing for 14,227 yards and 82 touchdowns.

The team also signed wide receiver Byron Pringle. Washington released fellow receivers Dax Milne and Damiere Byrd in a pair of corresponding moves. Patterson kicked for the Browns and Lions last year, connecting on 16-of-18 field goal tries and 41-of-44 extra point attempts. He signed with the Jaguars in the offseason but was waived earlier this week. Patterson will compete with Ramiz Ahmed for the kicking job in Washington during training camp.

Muse was drafted by the Raiders in the third-round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He never took a snap for the team after missing his rookie season with a foot injury. He resurfaced with the Seahawks in his second season and carved out a consistent role on special teams over the next two years. Muse appeared in 10 games for the Chargers last year and logged 198 special teams snaps. He tallied two tackles, both of which came on special teams. Muse will play a similar role for the Jags.

Campbell, the team’s second round pick in the 2021 draft, has been a solid cover man during his three pro seasons. He has six interceptions over those three seasons, and last year Pro Football Focus graded Campbell as the 100th best cover corner (out of 135 qualifying cornerbacks). Jacksonville’s secondary was graded by PFF as last year’s eighth best coverage unit.

Armstead underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus earlier in the offseason, something that did not get in the way of him signing a three-year, $51 million contract with the Jaguars. The timing and nature of the active Physically Unable to Perform means Armstead can be activated at any time and still counts towards the 90-man offseason roster. All signs continue to point to Armstead being ready for the start of the 2024 NFL season.