The Jacksonville Jaguars made several roster moves today, including placing linebacker Bryan Schwartz on injured reserve for the remainder of the 1996 season. Schwartz, who suffered a knee injury last Sunday against the New England Patriots, underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam yesterday which revealed a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
The other moves made by the team today included waiving fullback Ryan Christopherson and signing linebacker Brant Boyer, who was with the Jaguars for part of last season and this year's preseason. Also signed today to the active roster was linebacker Jeff Kopp.
Christopherson, 24, spent the 1995 season with the Jaguars after being drafted in the fifth round out of Wyoming. the 5-11, 246-pound South Dakota native was waived this year on August 25 in the final roster cuts. He was re-signed on September 3 and played in the games against Houston and Oakland before being deactivated for last Sunday's game against New England.
Boyer played in the Jaguars' last two games of 1995 after being re-signed. He had spent the 1995 training camp with the team but was waived prior to the start of the regular season. This year Boyer, 25, was waived on August 25 after playing for the Jaguars in the preseason. Boyer is a 6-1, 231-pound former Arizona player who originally joined the Jaguars through the 1995 expansion draft from the Miami Dolphins.
Kopp, 25, is a second-year player from Southern California who was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round a year ago. The 6-3, 243-pound Kopp played in all 16 regular season games as well as one playoff game for the Dolphins last year.
The Jaguars also made changes to their practice squad, terminating cornerback Rashid Gayle and offensive tackle Ronald Cherry, and signing running back Chris Parker and offensive tackle Chris Oltmanns. Gayle, 22, was the only undrafted rookie who made the Jaguars' opening day roster this year. He played in the first two regular season games before being waived September 13. The next day he was signed to the Jaguars' practice squad.
Cherry joined the Jaguars' practice squad last Wednesday. He was a fifth-round draft choice of the Detroit Lions in 1995 out of McNeese State. The 6-4, 300-pounder spent the 1995 season on the Lions' practice squad and also spent time with the Atlanta Falcons and Chicao Bears. Parker, 23, spent this year's training camp and preseason with the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie. The 5-10, 201-pound Parker was the leading rusher in Southern Conference history while at Marshall University. Oltmanns spent the 1996 training camp and preseason with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie from Kansas State. The 23-year-old Oltmanns is 6-5 and 315 pounds.
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MEDIA ADVISORY: Telephone conference calls with Carolina Panthers head coach Dom Capers and quarterback Steve Beuerlein will take place on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon, respectively, in the Jaguars media room at the stadium.
