ANALYSIS: JAGUARS EXTEND LOGAN COOKE, CLAIM JON'VEA JOHNSON

David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire

The Jaguars announced two roster moves on Saturday. 

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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The Jaguars announced two roster moves on Saturday. While I claimed I wasn't going to cover any football happenings during my wedding anniversary weekend, I snuck away for a few minutes to share my thoughts on the two moves.

The Jaguars announced an unspecified contract extension for punter Logan Cooke. According to Aaron Wilson, the extension is four years, $12 million. Originally drafted by Jacksonville in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State, Cooke has developed into one of the better punters in the league. After a rookie year that was filled with ups and downs, Cooke has improved his consistency and has also become a weapon on trick plays thanks to a strong left arm. He's completed all three passes he's attempted in his career. Cooke finished sixth in the NFL in yards per punt in 2020 and sixth in net punting. He landed 19 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Cooke still has the occasional hiccup, but at 25 years old, he's one of the top punters in the game and a player the Jaguars are wise to lock up.

The Jaguars also claimed wide receiver Jon'Vea Johnson to their active roster off waivers from Dallas. He's the fourth wideout the Jaguars have added in less than a week, joining Marvin Jones, Jamal Agnew, and Phillip Dorsett as newcomers in the Jaguars' wide receiver room. Johnson originally signed with Dallas after going undrafted in 2019. Johnson played his college ball at Toledo, where he caught 125 passes for 2,265 yards and 25 touchdowns. He stands 6 feet tall and weighs in at 192-pounds.

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There are two obvious reasons the Jaguars had interest in Johnson after the Cowboys waived him. Jacksonville's new WR coach Sanjay Lal served as Dallas' WR coach in 2018 and 2019. He was a fan of Jon'Vea Johnson during the season they worked together in Dallas. 

"Not a surprise, because we loved his film, but Jon'Vea the last two days, his speed and athleticism and how smooth he is has shown up here – almost a little bit earlier than we thought it would," said Lal. "Because we think he's going to process. Most young guys are thinking a lot, but he's done a good job of learning his plays and coming out and showing what he can do."

The other reason? Speed. Jaguars' head coach Urban Meyer wants speed all over the field, especially at receiver. Johnson ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at his pro day and averaged over 18 yards per catch in college. Johnson has yet to appear in an NFL regular-season game, but he caught eight passes for 83 yards in the 2019 preseason. Dallas has one of the deeper wide receiver rooms in football, so his waiving isn't much of a concern from my perspective. He adds speed, depth, and competition to the Jaguars' receiver group. The team now has DJ Chark, Laviska Shenault, Marvin Jones, Collin Johnson, Phillip Dorsett, Jamal Agnew, Terry Godwin, Josh Hammond, and Jon'Vea Johnson under contract at wide receiver. 

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