GENERAL MANAGER TRENT BAALKE AND HEAD COACH DOUG PEDERSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2024
(On what Baalke’s biggest objectives were as he shaped the roster, particularly with the
offensive and defensive line)
BAALKE: “Well, I think you can never have enough bigs, number one, guys that can play. We felt really good about those 21 guys. Obviously well enough to keep all of them. I think you’re just trying to put the best 53 together. Sometimes you go heavy in certain areas; sometimes injuries play a part; sometimes availability plays a part. We just felt those were the best 53 for the time being. The roster is never done. We’re going to keep looking, going to keep competing and putting guys in a position where they
have to compete to keep their spots.”
(On the difficulty of making the final few roster decisions)
PEDERSON: “It’s never easy. This is a tough day for all 32 clubs. You’ve invested so much time in these guys, right, in the development process. Like Trent said, it’s not done. Obviously we get a chance to hopefully get some guys back on our practice roster and keep improving the roster.”
(On the difficulty of the decisions when it came to the secondary) PEDERSON: “Yeah, I
think every position is tough. It goes without saying. I think there were obviously some
veteran players that were competing in the secondary. We also felt comfortable with some
of our young players and the development we had. Again, it’s just you find the best 53.
We’re not done obviously. We’ve got to continue to improve. But the guys we have we’re
confident in when we go play.”
(On if the decisions made in the secondary speak to how CB Jarrian Jones and CB De’Antre
Prince played in the preseason)
PEDERSON: “Yeah, that’s a lot of it. I think it’s a credit to the coaches, too, and it goes back to what I’ve been saying all spring and summer, is the development of our entire roster. I think that’s what showed up in these games. These guys have earned these spots.”
(On if 18-of-23 players from the last two draft classes making the 53-man roster speaks to
the priority of building through the draft rather than free agency)
BAALKE: “Again, you keep the best 53 guys regardless of age. Does that play a factor? Yeah, when things are equal or close to equal and you’re looking at upside, potential, where they’re at currently. So many
things go into it. Like Coach said, everybody that’s in those rooms earned it. Now it’s their
job to keep it as we progress through. They know it. That’s just the business. We’re all in it.
It’s what have you done for me lately?”
(On if there is potential for QB C.J. Beathard to return)
BAALKE: “Well, the way that works when you have a guy that gets injured and you do an injury settlement with them, it’s the length of the injury plus three weeks before we can get him back. Other teams could make a move earlier than that. We’ve got to wait at least seven weeks before that becomes an
option for us.”
(On the significance of QB C.J. Beathard’s injury)
BAALKE: “Well, it was a significant injury and it’s going to keep him away from ball for a while, at least four weeks of the season. Could be longer; could be shorter. Depends on how quickly he heals and how the rehab goes, but that’s the timeline right now.”
(On if there are concerns about pass rushing given the scarcity of players at the position)
BAALKE: “We feel good about the group. Again, we’ve got three guys that have played a lot
of football. Arik [DE Arik Armstead] is in good shape. He’s ready to go. We’ve been smart
and he’s been smart in how we’re bringing him along. He’s a pro. He knows his body well.
You can see him out there moving around. He’s moving really well. There is always a chance
for injury. I don’t care how many guys you have; guys go down, the next man has to come
up. We feel good about that rotation. Got some guys on the inside that can flex outside.
There is some flexibility with the way the roster was constructed.”
(On what it says about DE Myles Cole that he was able to make the roster as part of the
pass rush group)
PEDERSON: “It’s a credit to Myles to really come in and learn the system, learn the defense, show us his skillset and earn a spot.”
(On what they like about DT Esezi Otomewo)
PEDERSON: “For me too it goes back to last year, being having him here last year. What we saw every day going against our offensive line. He’s a big, powerful, lengthy guy with some athleticism. That showed up in camp. Just his skillset fits the scheme and he’s done a nice job.”
(On if DT Esezi Otomewo making the roster shows how important practice squad players are)
PEDERSON: “Yeah, like Trent said, kind of the next man up. If there is an injury, next guy up. We didn’t have that last year, but he was ready to go. A guy like himself that was on our roster competing every day last year came in this year ready to go, eager to make the team.”
(On what the next 12 hours look like for them)
PEDERSON: “Well, you sit here today, and you let a number of players go, and at the same time you want to communicate with them and the guys that you want back. But you’ve got 31 other teams we say all along that are looking at our roster too, as we’re looking at others. Obviously, there is a plan in place. If we don’t get the guys, we get the next guy. We’ll fill out the practice roster with the best 16.”
(On what they can share about the decision to release OL Tyler Shatley)
BAALKE: “Not at this time. He had a really good run here. Is that run over? That remains to be seen. You just applaud—it’s hard to stay in this league a year much less 10, so hats off to him and what
he’s accomplished. You never say never.”
(On how valuable it is to have players like LB Caleb Johnson and WR Tim Jones who have
been consistent contributors on special teams)
PEDERSON: “I think it’s very valuable. Both have been staples on special teams, and I think it’s a credit to them, but I think it’s a message to the young players on our roster, that if you want to play in this league and you want to play on the club, you bust your tail on special teams. And both of those guys have
kind of come up through that and have done a nice job. They’ve earned their spots.”
(On how tough it is to unseat players like LB Caleb Johnson and WR Tim Jones as core
players on special teams for multiple seasons)
PEDERSON: “Yeah, it is. It seems like every year you try to find that next guy. These guys, they’re pros. They know how to come in every day and work hard and they’re diligent about their craft and have earned the spot.”
(On what flexibility the new rule that allows teams to designated two players to return from
injured reserve ahead of the regular season gives)
BAALKE: “Well, I think it’s a very positive change for the league. You get two. You get a total of eight throughout the course of the year that you can designate for return, so that’s definitely an advantage. You don’t have to play the roster gymnastics like you used to with veteran guys, cutting them and bringing them back. Just made sense to do it, and I’m glad the league went to that.”
(On if this is as good as Baalke has felt about the overall depth of the roster)
BAALKE: “Coach and I were talking. We feel good about the 53 guys. You’re only as good as what the
record you put out there is, so that remains to be seen. This group of guys, they work hard.
They’re great teammates. They love coming to work every day. So, from that standpoint, we feel really good about the locker room. How good it ends up being, we’re going to find out 18 weeks from now.”
(On if the conversation with OL Tyler Shatley about his release was tougher than other
conversations)
PEDERSON: “Yeah, it is, because of his tenure and his commitment, the longevity that he’s had here in Jacksonville. It’s always hard. It’s tough when they’ve been a staple in the community and on your team and in your organization for as many years as he has. I just appreciate his hard work. He is another one of those guys that kept working his tail off, right? Then we’d get an injury in the offensive line, and he would go in. He’s just Mr. Reliable. It’s tough to make those decisions.”
(On how OL Cole Van Lanen and OL Javon Foster earned roster spots)
PEDERSON: “I just think Cole has had a really good training camp, and he, again, earned a spot, right? Javon has really proven too, over the course of when we got him to now, the improvement, right?
Just a young offensive lineman that you still want to invest some time and continue to work,
because there is a skillset there that is very usable, and we feel comfortable with that.”
(On how confident Baalke feels in the special teams unit)
BAALKE: “I think we feel good about a nucleus of guys, core group of guys. There is never enough depth. Obviously when you go with as many bigs as we did, it thins out that core a little bit. So, we’ll continue to
look at that and what we need to do to potentially beef that up. Again, the roster is never
completely set. You’re constantly looking. I think Heath (Special Teams Coordinator Heath
Farwell) and Luke (Assistant Special Teams Coach Luke Thompson) do an outstanding job
coaching those guys and getting them ready to play. Sometimes you got to have guys that
are starters step up and step in and fill roles, so we’re going to look at all our options. Again,
that’s what you do, you just keep looking.”
(On if the two players placed on injured reserve today count against the eight that can be
designated to return for the season)
BAALKE: “It does. It counts against the eight. So, total of eight. Those two count, so we’re down to six.”
(On the outlook on RB Keilan Robinson’s injury)
BAALKE: “He’s still dealing with the toe.
How long that takes, we’re going to bring him back as quickly as we can. Those things can
be tricky especially for that position when it’s the big toe. We are going to be smart with it,
but we’ve got to get him rolling at some point here.”
(On how much of a transition it will be for QB Trevor Lawrence not having QB C.J. Beathard)
PEDERSON: “C.J. has been really good with Trevor. Obviously, it’ll take some getting used to and adjustments. Mac [QB Mac Jones] is definitely—his veteran, I think, presence, he’s
played a lot of games just like C.J. has, and those two have a really good relationship as
well. We’ve seen it; I’ve seen it. I’ve spent time in this room and see the dialog that goes on
not only in there but on the field. It’ll take an adjustment period but they’re pros. Mac
supports Trevor, and we just roll.”
(On if Pederson flashes back to his own experiences as a player on roster cutdown day)
PEDERSON: I do. I mean, I was released six times. Yeah, six times in this league as a player
early on. It does. It still bothers you. I had my own son. I had to cut him twice. So, it bothers
you. You do flashback to those times. You just feel for the player. But at the same time, I
also encourage them, too, that it’s not the end, right? There are other clubs looking and
needing to fill out their rosters and practice squads and all that stuff. It’s not the end. Could
be the start for many of them.”
(On if Coach Pederson’s son, TE Josh Pederson, has forgiven him for cutting him)
PEDERSON: “No comment (laughs).”
BAALKE: “He blames me (laughs).”
(On the plan for TE Patrick Murtagh)
BAALKE: “Well, he reverts back to—counts against the 90, right? He’s on IR for the season; season-ending injury. So, we’ll rehab him and try to get him ready for next year.
(On if TE Patrick Murtagh will revert back to the International Player Pathway Program)
BAALKE: “No. That opens up a spot. We can now have another one, yes.”
(On what they expected to get out of QB Mac Jones when they traded for him and how it’s
measured up to what they’ve received)
BAALKE: “We all felt it was—obviously the staff was heavily involved in it, the coaching staff. We felt like we were getting a guy that’s played high-level football in this league. Sometimes things turn a different way. They go through a bad stretch. But Mac is in a really good place. He’s a good football player. Loves football. Loves being in the building. He’s an energizer. We got exactly what they thought we were
going to get.”
(On whether it was DE Trevis Gipson’s performance or the compensation that prompted the
trade with Seattle)
BAALKE: “I think a lot of things factored in there. Trevis did a nice job for us. He had a nice preseason, nice off-season, training camp. Obviously did well enough that multiple teams were interested in him. We just felt really good about where Myles was at and where we think we can get him, and the compensation factored into it. So, there were a lot of things at play. Trevis did a nice job and I think he’ll do a nice job for Seattle.”
(On how valuable S Darnell Savage’s ability to play nickel is)
BAALKE: “Yeah, I mean, the more guys can do, the more flexible your roster is, the more things you can do number-wise and where you count guys and stuff like that. So, it does give you flexibility. You’re always
looking for guys. O-line, D-line, multiple position guys, linebackers that can play two
positions and special teams. The more they can do the better off it is for us in terms of the
roster building.”
(On if a moment stood out for DE Myles Cole from when he arrived to now that solidified his
place on the 53-man roster)
BAALKE: “I think if you look at just the first game he played in as a young guy against Kansas City. There will be some growing pains. There always is with rookies, and especially as you get into the regular season games, and they heat up a little bit. You’re going against the ones and things change. He’s going to have to be able to adjust to that. I think you saw early on. It’s hard to find 6’6″ 280 pounds that runs 4.6 and has 36 and 7/8 arm length. They’re not just dropping off trucks every day here.”
(On if having a rookie kicker adds anxiety for Pederson)
PEDERSON: “Let me think back. I think I had a rookie kicker in ’17. (Smiling.) So, no. Cam [K Cam Little] has done a great job. He’s earned it. Strong leg. Accurate. He’s done a nice job with the new kickoff rule and
keeping things in that landing zone. We’re just excited of his growth and development.”
(On if Pederson will have to practice patience in terms of the development of younger
players)
PEDERSON: “Yes, but at the same time, when you look at the—I think when you look to the starting 11 offensively, starting 11 defensively, there are some veteran guys that have played a lot of football. Okay, [WR] Brian Thomas [Jr.] on offense might be really the only one, right, that’s young back there. Defensively, you’re rolling some veteran guys in that defensive line. You’ve got some veteran linebackers that have been here. Then there are those one-offs, like the [LB] Ventrell Millers who have really developed and can give you some time, not only defensively but on special teams. Secondary is another place. [S] Antonio Johnson, the steps he’s made. Where [CB] Tyson Campbell is. The addition of
Darnell. There are enough pieces that are you going to have a few pains here and there?
Probably, but I think these guys have played enough football and feel comfortable in the
scheme that it’s going to be better than not.”
(On if the versatility of defensive linemen and linebackers had an impact on how the
defensive end group was shaped)
BAALKE: “Yeah. Like I said earlier, there are guys on the inside, in that the inside seven that can move, especially in run-down situations. They can flex out. So that ability, that versatility does help us certainly.”
(On how LB Yasir Abdullah has developed from last season to now)
PEDERSON: “He has improved tremendously. From an on-the-ball outside backer, off-the-edge rusher, which he’s proven to do in camp this year, to a stack backer to special teams. Again, one of the
young players that when you talk about development and growth, he’s really taken that to
heart and put himself in a really good position to help us on special teams and also on
defense.”
(On how OL Cole Van Lanen has stood out and what impact he can have on the offensive
line)
PEDERSON: “Cole right now, you look at it, as well as he’s played, I mean, he’s your
fourth tackle, right? I mean, that’s a good thing to have, right? To have that depth – Trent
alluded to it earlier – to have that kind of depth in your offensive line, find another team that
has four tackles and can play either side. So, we’re very blessed obviously to be in this
position, and he has definitely had a tremendous camp and has done a nice job.”
(On if OL Cole Van Lanen has seen any work at guard)
PEDERSON: “I don’t think he did. He kept him outside. He stayed outside, yeah.”
BAALKE: “I don’t think he has.”
