Should the Jaguars find themselves in a race for a playoff spot in the final weeks of the season, they’ll have a shot at adding linebacker Daryl Smith to the lineup for the final push.
Unlikely? Sure, but the Jaguars aren’t letting things like probabilities stop them from keeping the hope alive. They placed Smith, who has yet to play in a preseason or regular season game this year, on injured reserve with the designation to return thanks to a groin injury. He is eligible to return to practice in six weeks and free to play in a game in eight weeks, which would give him a chance to play in the last few games of the season.
Smith started all 48 games over the last three seasons for the Jaguars and has been a fixture in their starting lineup since joining the team as a second round pick in 2004. He’s set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
The Jaguars have been starting Russell Allen and Kyle Bosworth at outside linebacker with Paul Posluszny holding things down in the middle. There’s been some talk about undrafted rookie Julian Stanford getting a shot in the starting lineup and there would seem to be plenty of time for the Jags to experiment with all kinds of looks at the position until Smith returns to the team.