The Jacksonville Jaguars were back on the practice field for the first of their organized team activity (OTA) sessions of the offseason, and not many faces were missing. Despite the practices being voluntary, only three players from the team’s roster were absent.
“I keep stressing it’s a voluntary program but to see these guys in the building every single day shows me they want to win, and they want to win here,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Monday in a press conference. “I can’t let them be a one-and-done season. We have to continue to build on that.
“We talked a lot about this last year: consistency in winning goes a long way. That’s what I’m seeing from the guys and the effort they’re putting in during the phase one and phase two and, obviously, now starting phase three.”
The only players missing were veterans Evan Engram, Cam Robinson, and Josh Allen.
Engram, 28, was franchised by the Jaguars earlier this offseason and hasn’t signed his tender. The team has until July 17 to negotiate a long-term deal with the tight end, otherwise he’ll be slated to play the 2023 season on a one-year contract.
Robinson is still recovering from a knee injury that ended his 2022 season, and he’s expected to be suspended soon for a performance-enhancing drug policy violation. The reason for Allen’s absence isn’t entirely clear, but Pederson told reporters that the team has been in contact with the pass rusher and is confident he’s preparing well for next season.
