Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell has done a tremendous job bringing young talent on to the roster since he took over their front office back in 2013. With the influx of talent comes some difficult decisions as it relates to the 53-man roster.
With that said, this latest report by Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union has to be pretty darn surprising to both insiders and outsiders to what is happening in Jacksonville.
Not surprisingly, Jaguars fans reacted negatively via Twitter on Friday when I suggested on “Jaguars Today” on 1010XL that receiver Ace Sanders would be on the roster bubble this preseason. It wouldn’t be a shock because 5-foot-7 players who don’t make guys miss don’t have a ton of value.
We can talk about size until we are blue in the face, but Jacksonville needs productive receivers to provide pass-catching options to whoever is under center. And Sanders was one of the most productive rookie receivers in the NFL last season. The 2013 fourth-round pick tallied 51 catches for nearly 500 yards in 2013. He caught 65 percent of the passes thrown in his direction and dropped just four passes on the season.
Regardless of where Sanders might fit in, it’s highly unlikely that the Jaguars would part ways with him. He’s too good of a third-down receiving threat and there are way too many questions for Jacksonville at wide receiver. Will Justin Blackmon play in 2014? Can both Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee make immediate impacts as rookies? Why go out there and release someone that is one of the only sure bets on the roster?
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