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By The Sports Xchange
Former Denver Broncos defensive tackle Malik Jackson speaks to the media in Santa Clara, California on February 2, 2016. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
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JACKSONVILLE -- Defensive tackle Malik Jackson has promised his trip visiting the White House, will be his last official act with the Denver Broncos. Jackson and the rest of the Broncos squad will be meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington on Monday, June 6, as a reward for winning last year's Super Bowl.
Jackson was a key component in the Broncos defense that shut down the Carolina Panthers in the championship game, thus earning the team a trip to the White House. He's no longer a member of the Broncos, having signed a lucrative free agent contract with the Jaguars in March.
"It's going to be really fun, I'm excited," Jackson said. "This is my last Bronco act. I'll say, 'What's up?' to the guys and then get back here with these guys and get working."
Jackson will miss the Jaguars OTA session on Monday but vowed to be back for Tuesday's OTA practice.
As for the upcoming ring ceremony in which players receive their Super Bowl rings, Jackson said he probably would decline Denver's invitation to come to Denver to receive such.
"They can ship me the ring," he said.
That would leave the next encounter between Jackson and his former team with a meeting on Dec. 4, when Denver comes to EverBank Field to take on the Jaguars in a regular-season game.
--Through the first two weeks of the Jaguars OTAs, you could actually mention Marqise Lee's name and not have to use the word injured with it. In the wide receiver's short two-year history with the Jaguars, the injury-bug has become attached to his name.
In his first two years of OTAs, it was an ankle injury in his rookie season and a knee injury during last year's OTAs that limited Lee's time on the field. Unfortunately those types of setbacks have carried over to the regular season as well.
Most notable have been hamstring injuries which have cost Lee nine games in his first two seasons, six of which came a year ago. It's frustrated the speedster from UCLA which is why he's had such a smile these last two weeks.
"My thing is just being healthy," Lee said. "That's it. That's all that's going through my head. When coach Gus (Bradley) asked me what's my mindset, that's all I worry about is staying healthy. Thus far it's working as far as my plan, so I'm sticking to it."
The injuries have limited Lee to 52 receptions for 613 yards and two touchdowns in his first two seasons, numbers that Lee would have liked for one season.
But he's far behind the team's top two receivers -- Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns -- and is competing with Rashad Greene as the team's No. 3 receiver for action at the slot position.
Bradley has been cautiously guarded with his comments about Lee's performance on the field. He likes the talent that the 6-foot, 200-pound receiver has in that he's probably the team's best deep threat.
But he also knows of Lee's history of injuries.
"I don't say, 'Be healthy tomorrow,' I just say, 'Keep stacking them up,'" the Jaquars coach said. "That's the idea. Just keep building and control what you can control. If he lives in that world, then we'll be really good. He has something that we don't have now -- his explosiveness and his speed -- so it's important that he keeps progressing like he does."
--The Jacksonville Jaguars continue to tinker with the offensive line, signing former Tampa Bay and Chicago starting guard Patrick Omameh to a contract this week.
Omameh becomes the third free agent offensive lineman signed by the Jaguars during the offseason, joining Kelvin Beachum and Mackenzy Bernadeau.
Omameh started all 16 games with the Bucs in 2014 but was released after last year's preseason. He then signed on with the Chicago Bears, where he started nine games (eight at right guard, one at left guard) for a reshuffled Bears' offensive front.
The Jaguars did not return two starters on the line from a year ago, opting to let center Stefen Wisniewskii and right guard Zane Beadles find new homes. Both started every game for the Jaguars in 2015.
Beachum, recovering from offseason ACL surgery, is expected to compete with left tackle Luke Joeckel for that starting job. Whoever loses out, will join Bernadeau and Omameh for the starting spot at left guard.
It gives the Jaguars eight players who have been regulars along the offensive line for at least one season, giving them more depth up front than they've had in coach Gus Bradley's previous three seasons.
NOTES: CB Jalen Ramsey who underwent right knee surgery on May 24, has ditched his crutches and was walking around with a small wrap on his knee at the Jaguars OTAs this week. ... G Mackenzy Bernadeau was a part-time starter in Dallas a couple seasons ago along with offensive tackle Jermey Parnell. Both players are projected starters for the Jaguars, Parnell again at right tackle (16-game starter a year ago) and Bernadeau at left guard. ... WR Allen Hurns talked about how special signing his 4-year, $40 million contract was to him and his family. "Being able to spend this special moment here is a blessing," Hurns said. "Just seeing my story, where I started from. It is very exciting for me right now. (It) still feels surreal, but at the end of the day I still continue to prove myself." ... DE Yannick Ngakoue remains the only unsigned player of the Jaguars' six draft picks in this year's NFL Draft. The former Maryland standout is one of the top 13 third-round draft picks who remain unsigned. ... TE Nic Jacobs sustained a hairline fracture of his left hand early in May when he was blocking a sled. Jacobs has dropped 15 pounds since the end of last season when he played at 290 pounds. ...QB Blake Bortles talked about how tight he and TE Julius Thomas have become in the offseason. "He's done a great job of wanting and accepting to work together, coming and asking what do I want and what do I like. It's back and forth. I ask him the same stuff. I think that every day that we come out here, he continues to get better. He never drops a ball and has unbelievable hands." ... LB Myles Jack is still prohibited from practicing with the Jaguars due to the NCAA-NFL rule prohibiting non-graduated players from participating until their school's class schedule is complete. Jack, the former UCLA standout, was in town last weekend to undergo a physical where he was cleared for football activities. He'll join his Jaguars teammates on the field for the team's mandatory three-day camp starting June 14. ... CB Prince Amukamara participated in his first OTA this week after sitting out the first four sessions because to a hamstring injury. ... OT Josh Wells was added to the Jaguars injury list (groin) this week. With the addition of the three new free agent offensive linemen, Wells is in a group looking to assure his roster spot. ... OL Chris Reed has dropped his body-fat by 4 percent. "Pizza and ice cream, those were the two biggies (avoided)," he told the Florida Times-Union. "I wanted to drop my body-fat and a lot of that was staying away from junk food which is hard to do in the offseason."
Jackson was a key component in the Broncos defense that shut down the Carolina Panthers in the championship game, thus earning the team a trip to the White House. He's no longer a member of the Broncos, having signed a lucrative free agent contract with the Jaguars in March.
"It's going to be really fun, I'm excited," Jackson said. "This is my last Bronco act. I'll say, 'What's up?' to the guys and then get back here with these guys and get working."
Jackson will miss the Jaguars OTA session on Monday but vowed to be back for Tuesday's OTA practice.
As for the upcoming ring ceremony in which players receive their Super Bowl rings, Jackson said he probably would decline Denver's invitation to come to Denver to receive such.
"They can ship me the ring," he said.
That would leave the next encounter between Jackson and his former team with a meeting on Dec. 4, when Denver comes to EverBank Field to take on the Jaguars in a regular-season game.
--Through the first two weeks of the Jaguars OTAs, you could actually mention Marqise Lee's name and not have to use the word injured with it. In the wide receiver's short two-year history with the Jaguars, the injury-bug has become attached to his name.
In his first two years of OTAs, it was an ankle injury in his rookie season and a knee injury during last year's OTAs that limited Lee's time on the field. Unfortunately those types of setbacks have carried over to the regular season as well.
Most notable have been hamstring injuries which have cost Lee nine games in his first two seasons, six of which came a year ago. It's frustrated the speedster from UCLA which is why he's had such a smile these last two weeks.
"My thing is just being healthy," Lee said. "That's it. That's all that's going through my head. When coach Gus (Bradley) asked me what's my mindset, that's all I worry about is staying healthy. Thus far it's working as far as my plan, so I'm sticking to it."
The injuries have limited Lee to 52 receptions for 613 yards and two touchdowns in his first two seasons, numbers that Lee would have liked for one season.
But he's far behind the team's top two receivers -- Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns -- and is competing with Rashad Greene as the team's No. 3 receiver for action at the slot position.
Bradley has been cautiously guarded with his comments about Lee's performance on the field. He likes the talent that the 6-foot, 200-pound receiver has in that he's probably the team's best deep threat.
But he also knows of Lee's history of injuries.
"I don't say, 'Be healthy tomorrow,' I just say, 'Keep stacking them up,'" the Jaquars coach said. "That's the idea. Just keep building and control what you can control. If he lives in that world, then we'll be really good. He has something that we don't have now -- his explosiveness and his speed -- so it's important that he keeps progressing like he does."
--The Jacksonville Jaguars continue to tinker with the offensive line, signing former Tampa Bay and Chicago starting guard Patrick Omameh to a contract this week.
Omameh becomes the third free agent offensive lineman signed by the Jaguars during the offseason, joining Kelvin Beachum and Mackenzy Bernadeau.
Omameh started all 16 games with the Bucs in 2014 but was released after last year's preseason. He then signed on with the Chicago Bears, where he started nine games (eight at right guard, one at left guard) for a reshuffled Bears' offensive front.
The Jaguars did not return two starters on the line from a year ago, opting to let center Stefen Wisniewskii and right guard Zane Beadles find new homes. Both started every game for the Jaguars in 2015.
Beachum, recovering from offseason ACL surgery, is expected to compete with left tackle Luke Joeckel for that starting job. Whoever loses out, will join Bernadeau and Omameh for the starting spot at left guard.
It gives the Jaguars eight players who have been regulars along the offensive line for at least one season, giving them more depth up front than they've had in coach Gus Bradley's previous three seasons.
NOTES: CB Jalen Ramsey who underwent right knee surgery on May 24, has ditched his crutches and was walking around with a small wrap on his knee at the Jaguars OTAs this week. ... G Mackenzy Bernadeau was a part-time starter in Dallas a couple seasons ago along with offensive tackle Jermey Parnell. Both players are projected starters for the Jaguars, Parnell again at right tackle (16-game starter a year ago) and Bernadeau at left guard. ... WR Allen Hurns talked about how special signing his 4-year, $40 million contract was to him and his family. "Being able to spend this special moment here is a blessing," Hurns said. "Just seeing my story, where I started from. It is very exciting for me right now. (It) still feels surreal, but at the end of the day I still continue to prove myself." ... DE Yannick Ngakoue remains the only unsigned player of the Jaguars' six draft picks in this year's NFL Draft. The former Maryland standout is one of the top 13 third-round draft picks who remain unsigned. ... TE Nic Jacobs sustained a hairline fracture of his left hand early in May when he was blocking a sled. Jacobs has dropped 15 pounds since the end of last season when he played at 290 pounds. ...QB Blake Bortles talked about how tight he and TE Julius Thomas have become in the offseason. "He's done a great job of wanting and accepting to work together, coming and asking what do I want and what do I like. It's back and forth. I ask him the same stuff. I think that every day that we come out here, he continues to get better. He never drops a ball and has unbelievable hands." ... LB Myles Jack is still prohibited from practicing with the Jaguars due to the NCAA-NFL rule prohibiting non-graduated players from participating until their school's class schedule is complete. Jack, the former UCLA standout, was in town last weekend to undergo a physical where he was cleared for football activities. He'll join his Jaguars teammates on the field for the team's mandatory three-day camp starting June 14. ... CB Prince Amukamara participated in his first OTA this week after sitting out the first four sessions because to a hamstring injury. ... OT Josh Wells was added to the Jaguars injury list (groin) this week. With the addition of the three new free agent offensive linemen, Wells is in a group looking to assure his roster spot. ... OL Chris Reed has dropped his body-fat by 4 percent. "Pizza and ice cream, those were the two biggies (avoided)," he told the Florida Times-Union. "I wanted to drop my body-fat and a lot of that was staying away from junk food which is hard to do in the offseason."
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