With a very good player already in the mix along the line and a recent boost to the secondary, the Jacksonville Jaguars added another intended boost to the defense by signing a former UFL standout.
Jaguars PR reported Thursday the team agreed to terms with defensive end Breeland Speaks.
Speaks came to the NFL highly touted after a seven-sack junior season at the University of Mississippi. The Kansas City Chiefs grabbed him the second round (No. 46 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. Things didn’t work out as Speaks started four games that season, recording 1.5 sacks and 24 tackles.
Jaguars DE Breeland Speaks makes long road back
An injury disrupted his 2019 season. And in 2020, Speaks became a roster-cut victim. At the time, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told chiefswire.com the decision didn’t come easy.
“That was certainly a unique scenario where, of all the positions – I certainly think we have a very good roster, a very talented roster – that defensive line position is probably our deepest position,” Veach said. “With Breeland, a different scheme from when he got here. I, and our staff, thought in his rookie year he did some things that you can really lay a foundation on. And we all know that he came in a little out of shape the next year, and then he had the injury. So, I think when you get behind the eight ball in professional football, it’s tough. And then when you get behind the eight ball on a roster with a deep defensive line, it’s even tougher. I will say this – credit to the kid – he did come in in shape and worked hard to get that weight off. Again, he was just up against a very deep and talented defensive line class.”
Also to Speaks’ credit, he didn’t give up on football. Several teams gave Speaks a look — including the Giants, Cowboys, and Bills — but he didn’t make an NFL appearance. Eventually he thrived with the Michigan Panthers of the UFL. In 2023, he totaled nine sacks and 53 tackles. This spring the 6-foot-3, 285-pounder added 9.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss and earned defensive player of the year honors.
Speaks parlayed that success into NFL interest. And finally he landed with the Jaguars, where he will join star Josh Hines-Allen on the edge along with Travon Walker, D.J. Coleman, and Trevis Gipson.
It seems like the Jaguars can use another player to shake things up on the defensive line, where they rank No. 26, according to Pro Football Focus.
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