The Jaguars’ latest linebacker move says as much about Jack Kiser’s injury as it does about the player they brought in.
Jacksonville has added free-agent linebacker Jared Bartlett after losing Kiser to a knee injury that has him listed as week-to-week. Bartlett is the kind of camp addition that fits the moment: young, available, and useful for a team that needs bodies in the room while sorting out the next few weeks.
Bartlett entered the league last year with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent and spent time during his rookie season with the Jets, the Green Bay Packers, and the Arizona Cardinals. He appeared in two games with Arizona.
This offseason, he was with the Carolina Panthers for most of the summer before being waived last week. Now he gets another shot with Jacksonville.
What stands out here is who the Jaguars did not bring in. If the team had opted for a more experienced linebacker to fill Kiser’s spot in training camp, that would have suggested a longer absence and a need for someone ready to step in immediately.
Instead, the Bartlett signing points the other way. It looks like Jacksonville expects Kiser back sooner rather than later.
That doesn’t mean Bartlett is walking into a meaningless opportunity. He’s a logical 90th man on the roster, and the Jaguars can use him to soak up reps with the backups and on special teams.
But nothing about this move screams that the team is planning to lean on him heavily or hand him a real path to the 53-man roster. Of course, this is the NFL, and nothing is ever locked down completely.
If Bartlett flashes, the door is open.
The bigger picture in camp still revolves around the linebackers already getting the extra work. Fourth-year linebacker Ventrell Miller and second-year linebacker Branson Combs have been the main beneficiaries so far, and both appear to be battling for a chance to replace Devin Lloyd at the starting spot next to Foyesade Oluokun. Before the injury, Kiser was lined up as the second-team middle linebacker behind Oluokun.
With Kiser sidelined, Jacksonville had two obvious choices: bring in a veteran with experience or use the opening to take a longer look at rookie Parker Hughes. The Bartlett signing makes it clear which direction the Jaguars chose. Hughes, a seventh-round pick, has already shown flashes in camp, and now he should keep getting plenty of work with the backups.
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