JACKSONVILLE – The reshaping continues.
The Jaguars on Monday continued to hone their roster in advance of the 2017 league year, parting ways with another player who signed as a high-profile free agent during the 2015 offseason.
Davon House, a cornerback who spent the 2015 season as the Jaguars' top cornerback before playing sparingly this past season, has been released by the team. The Jaguars announced the move late Monday afternoon.
House, 27, a sixth-year veteran, appeared in all 16 games with 15 starts in 2015, setting a single-season franchise record by defensing 23 passes. He started four of 16 games in 2016 without any passes defensed.
House, originally a fourth-round selection by the Green Bay Backers in the 2011 NFL Draft, has appeared in 73 career games with 33 starts. He has two sacks, 60 passes defensed and six interceptions.
House's release is further reason the Jaguars' secondary – particularly the cornerback position – is an area to watch this week with the league's free-agency period scheduled to begin Thursday, the start of the 2017 league year.
Jaguars General Manager David Caldwell said last week during the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine that cornerback Prince Amukamara and strong safety Johnathan Cyprien will be allowed to test the free-agent market, meaning they won't be signed before the NFL's negotiation window that begins Tuesday at noon Eastern.
Teams can begin negotiating with the agents of players from other teams at that point, but can't sign players from other teams until 4 p.m. Eastern time Thursday.
If neither Cyprien nor Amukamara re-sign, that will leave the Jaguars without two of their top four cornerbacks from last season and also without their starting strong safety from last season. Cyprien started 16 games last season and Amukamara started 12 games and played in 14.
Jalen Ramsey started 16 games at corner opposite House/Amukamara as a Pro Football Writer Association All-Rookie selection last season, and Aaron Colvin – entering his fourth NFL season – played well while playing nickel in games last season.
No other corner on the roster has started for the Jaguars.
The cornerback position is considered a strong one at the top of the free agent class, with A.J. Bouye of the Houston Texans and Stephon Gilmore of the Buffalo Bills currently scheduled to become free agents Thursday afternoon.
The Jaguars released defensive end Jared Odrick in late February, and there are widespread reports that tight end Julius Thomas will be traded to the Miami Dolphins when the league year begins. Odrick, Thomas and House all signed with the Jaguars as unrestricted free agents in March 2015.
