Jaguars Make Four Roster Moves Ahead of Monday's Practice

The Jacksonville Jaguars got off to a good start in the 2026 NFL preseason, commanding a  24-20 victory against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday.

But, on Monday, the team suffered a blow to the linebacking core, with seventh-round rookie Parker Hughes being placed on injured reserve.

The former Middle Tennessee State standout suffered an undisclosed injury in the first half of Saturday's game, subsequently landing him on the injured reserve.

While it would have been an uphill battle for Hughes to see significant playing time, he had been putting in the work and studying the playbook intently to try to do so.

In response, the team signed former Buffalo Bills LB Baylon Spector, who totaled 45 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one fumble recovery over his past four seasons.

Spector is mainly a special teams player, but adds depth to a linebacking room that has seen some major overhaul from last season.

Losing Devin Lloyd will be a work in progress for the group, as he had become a vocal leader within the locker room and produced at a high level.

The team will need a big year from Ventrell Miller, who has seemingly separated himself as the secondary man in the middle next to Foyesade Oluokon.

Jacksonville also added another offensive lineman to the roster, signing Timothy McKay.

The Washington Commanders signed McKay as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft, where he spent the season on the practice squad.

But, in college, McKay was a multi-positional player, taking a notable number of snaps at both tackle and guard during his six-year career at NC State.

In late-July, the Jaguars lost two linemen to the Active/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, designating rookie guard Garrett DiGiorgio and 2021 sixth rounder Cole Van Lanen.

Having a player like McKay available gives the offensive line more depth on the interior and outside.

In order to make move for McKay, Jacksonville parted ways with tight end Ethan Conner.

Conner was signed following this year's draft after a standout career at Troy, where he became the first tight end in program history to earn All-Sun Belt honors as a redshirt senior.

After Jacksonville took both Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol in the draft, it was surprising to see the team sign Conners as well.

The 6-foot-4 tight end recorded 31 receptions, 397 yards, and three touchdowns en route to his second-team mark, but could not beat out players like Koziol and Boerkircher for the secondary tight end spot behind Brenton Strange.