JACKSONVILLE – They moved boldly, swiftly and broadly.
The Jaguars on Wednesday opened the new League Year in high-profile fashion – and doing so with an approach promised by Head Coach Doug Pederson and General Manager Trent Baalke.
The duo spoke in early March of being aggressive at the outset of the 2022 NFL League Year, and the Jaguars indeed were that this week agreeing to terms with seven players to sign as unrestricted free agents. The list:
- Defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi. A sixth-round selection by the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft, Fatukasi has started 23 games in four seasons with the Jets – and has 18 career tackles for loss with 14 quarterback hits and three sacks.
- Tight end Evan Engram. The No. 23 overall selection by the New York Giants in the 2017 NFL Draft, Engram caught 262 passes for 2,828 yards and 16 touchdowns in five seasons with the Giants.
- Wide receiver Zay Jones. A second-round selection by the Buffalo Bills in the 2017 NFL Draft, Jones spent two seasons and five games with the Bills, then spent 10 games with the Oakland Raiders in 2019 before playing for the Raiders the past two seasons. He has caught 171 passes for 1,884 yards and 11 touchdowns in five NFL seasons.
- Wide receiver Christian Kirk. A second-round selection by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2018 NFL Draft, Kirk, caught 236 passes for 2,902 yards and 17 touchdowns in four seasons with the Cardinals.
- Linebacker Foye Oluokun. A sixth-round selection by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2018 NFL Draft, Oluokun led the NFL with 192 tackles in 2021. He has been credited with 462 tackles in four seasons with the Falcons and has forced seven career fumbles with five career interceptions.
- Offensive guard Brandon Scherff. The No. 5 overall selection by Washington in the 2015 NFL Draft, Scherff made five Pro Bowl appearances (following the 2016-2017 and 2019-2021 seasons) in seven seasons with the franchise. He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 2020.
- Cornerback Darious Williams. A collegiate free agent who signed with the Baltimore Ravens following the 2018 NFL Draft, Williams played the last three-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He joined the Rams after playing one game with Baltimore as a rookie, then started 26 games over the past three seasons with six career interceptions and 27 passes defensed.
The deals became "official" Wednesday at 4 p.m., the start of the NFL's 2022 League Year. It was then that the league permitted teams to officially announce the deals.
Baalke and Peterson both were expected to meet with local media shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday. Look for coverage of those availabilities later on jaguas.com, with Baalke and Pederson both scheduled to appear on Jaguars Drive Time with Ashlyn Sullivan, Brian Sexton and John Oehser at 4:30 p.m.
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