NFL: Jaguars Sign Armstead and Jones, Add Free Agents
The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed DL Arik Armstead and QB Mac Jones.
Jones was drafted by New England in the first round (15th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft. Since 2021, he has completed 864 passes for 8,918 yards and 46 touchdowns.
During his rookie season (2021), he was selected to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team and received his first Pro Bowl Games selection. The Jacksonville, Fla., native played collegiately at Alabama (2018-20) where he led the Crimson Tide to the 2020 BCS National Championship title and was a consensus first-team All-America selection.
Armstead was drafted by San Francisco in the first round (17th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. He has played in 116 games with 97 starts in his nine-year career, recording 33.5 sacks, 42 tackles for loss, 85 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
The Elk Grove, Calif. native was named the 49ers Walter Payton Man of the Year award nominee four consecutive seasons (2020-23).
The Jacksonville Jaguars earlier came to terms with four players.
NAME | POS. | HT. | WT. | EXP. | COLLEGE | PREV. TEAM |
Ronald Darby | CB | 5-11 | 193 | 10 | Florida State | Baltimore Ravens |
Gabe Davis | WR | 6-2 | 225 | 5 | Central Florida | Buffalo Bills |
Devin Duvernay | WR | 5-11 | 202 | 5 | Texas | Baltimore Ravens |
Darnell Savage | S | 5-11 | 198 | 6 | Maryland | Green Bay Packers |
Darby was originally selected in the second round (50th overall) by the Buffalo Bills in the 2015 draft. He’s played in 105 games with 95 starts in his career, recording eight interceptions, 97 passes defensed, and 398 total tackles (343 solo). After spending the first two seasons of his career in Buffalo (2015-16), he spent time with Philadelphia (2017-19), Washington (2020), Denver (2021-22), and most recently Baltimore (2023). During his time in Philadelphia he played under Head Coach Doug Pederson and helped the Eagles claim their first Super Bowl title in 2017. Originally from Oxon Hill, Md., Darby earned ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year at Florida State (2012) and went on to help his team win the BCS National Championship in 2014.
Davis was drafted by Buffalo in the fourth round (128th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. During his four seasons with Buffalo (2020-23), he recorded 163 receptions for 2,730 yards and 27 touchdowns in 64 games (47 starts). Davis also appeared in seven postseason games where he totaled 22 receptions for 474 yards and six touchdowns. Since entering the NFL, 76.7 percent of Davis’ catches have resulted in a first down or touchdown, the highest percentage of all NFL players during that time. He’s averaged 16.7 average yards per reception in his career, the second-most in the NFL since 2020. The Sanford, Fla., native played collegiately at Central Florida where he recorded 23 career receiving touchdowns which is the most in school history.
Duvernay was originally drafted by Baltimore in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. In four seasons, Duvernay has posted 94 receptions for 898 yards and five touchdowns. He also has registered 27 rushing attempts for 219 yards and one touchdown. The University of Texas product has 73 kickoff returns for 1,811 yards and two touchdowns, including a 103-yard return in 2022. He also has 69 punt returns for 886 yards. Since 2020, Duvernay ranks first in punt return average (12.8) and eighth in kickoff return average (24.8) among all players with at least 50 returns in each category. His 12 punt returns of at least 20 yards also rank first in the NFL since 2020. He has twice been named to the Pro Bowl (2021 & 2022) and was also voted Associated Press first-team All Pro in 2021.
Savage spent his first five seasons with Green Bay who originally drafted him in the first round in 2019 (21st overall). He’s played in 72 games with 69 starts in his career, recording nine interceptions, 32 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. From 2019 – 2022, he was one of eight NFL safeties who posted 55-plus tackles, five-plus passes defensed and an interception each season. Originally from Salisbury, Md., Savage earned All-Big Ten honors in his final two seasons at Maryland.
