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Jaguars' Roster Moves Prove Quinn Ewers is Now Officially QB2
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- Jaguars' Roster Moves Prove Quinn Ewers is Now Officially QB2
(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
As the Jacksonville Jaguars prepare for their showdown against the New England Patriots , the team made one roster move on Saturday.
The Jaguars elevated linebacker Jalen McLeod from the practice squad for the second straight week to add depth to the defense for Sunday's clash.
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After being drafted last year in the sixth round, McLeod made his NFL debut last week after being called up from the PS. He spent his entire rookie season on IR after suffering an ankle injury in training camp.
With this being McLeod's second elevation of the season, the Jaguars can only do so one more time before having to sign McLeod to the 53-man roster.
While McLeod's elevation provides the defense with another talented young defender, it is the roster move the Jaguars didn't make that is more newsworthy.
For the first time this season, Jacksonville did not elevate quarterback Nick Mullens from the practice squad, a clear sign that Quinn Ewers is now officially the team's QB2.
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Finally Ready To Be Lawrence's Backup
The Jaguars made the surprising trade to acquire Ewers the day before final roster cuts.
Former backup Mullens struggled throughout the offseason, prompting Jacksonville to search for an upgrade for its backup QB spot. The team landed on Ewers as its target and sent a 2028 sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for the 2025 seventh-round pick right before the initial 53-man roster was finalized.
The Jaguars then cut Mullens, but re-signed him to the team's practice squad.
However, as Ewers was continuing to learn the offense, Jacksonville was not comfortable with him and elevated Mullens to the roster in both of the first two games while Ewers was inactive.
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Now it seems that Ewers is finally ready to be Trevor Lawrence 's backup.
While Mullens has proven a capable backup in the NFL, his play this past offseason declined sharply. He was particularly bad in Jacksonville's first preseason game, causing many to wonder whether the Jaguars should scour the trade market for an upgrade.
Though his play improved after that, the Jaguars still decided to go out and find a new backup. Now Ewers has learned the offense well enough that he is ready to take Mullens' spot on game days.
Final Thoughts
Obviously, the hope for any NFL team is that its backup quarterback never has to see the field, except in garbage time of a huge win.
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That said, Ewers is an exciting young QB for head coach Liam Coen and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski to develop. At one point in his college career at Texas, Ewers was projected to be drafted much higher than his eventual slot in the seventh round.
Ewers is only 23 and has significantly more upside than Mullens. The Jaguars now have a QB2 who is eight years younger and whose career is (hopefully) on the way up, as opposed to Mullens, whose career looked to be on the way down this offseason.
