Jacksonville Jaguars waive Dwayne Gratz to make room for Aaron Colvin
After three very up-and-down years, the Jacksonville Jaguars released former 3rd-round pick Dwayne Gratz to accommodate the return of Aaron Colvin.
The Jacksonville Jaguars had a week off to try and recuperate and refocus their attention on what is a wide-open AFC South after a much needed win against the Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars usually have some bad news pop up during the bye week historically, but there wasn’t too much negativity around Jacksonville. Outside of Luke Joeckel‘s injury and a monstrous hurricane, things weren’t too bad.
One piece of good news over the week was the return of cornerback Aaron Colvin, fresh from serving a 4-game suspension. The Jacksonville defense has been a somewhat pleasant surprise so far, with a number of young players contributing on a regular basis. The secondary in particular has been solid when Jalen Ramsey and Prince Amukamara are both on the field, with Davon House serving as the only real weak spot. That should change with the return of Colvin, who’s insertion into the roster led the team to release former 3rd round pick Dwayne Gratz.
The #Jaguars activated CB Aaron Colvin to their 53-man roster, waiving veteran CB Dwayne Gratz, they announced.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 10, 2016
Gratz had a promising rookie season, but he never really developed and was burned far too often against competent receivers over the past 2 years. He managed to make the roster this year, but he was clearly the odd man out once Colvin returned.
Oddly enough, Gratz was having a fairly decent year in limited snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, his 75.8 overall grade would have made him the 40th ranked cornerback in the NFL if he qualified with enough snaps. He wasn’t outstanding, but he was playing at a much higher level than Davon House, who carries a horrific 35.6 grade, 117th out of the 117 qualifying cornerbacks.
With Colvin back, the Jaguars now have a dedicated slot corner who can cover receivers on the inside and running backs coming out of the backfield. Colvin was miscast too often as an outside corner last year, but he should thrive with significantly better defensive backs around him.
As for Gratz, he’ll likely latch on to another team sooner rather than later. Coaches are always looking for athletic corners with length to try and fit into their scheme.
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