JAGUARS WAIVE BENNETT, FOWLER RETURNS TO 53 MAN ROSTER

David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire

Dante Fowler Jr. returned from suspension Tuesday, which led to the release of DT Michael Bennett. 

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The Jaguars, coming off a sloppy 20-15 victory of the Giants in week one, will once again have the services of Dante Fowler Jr., who was suspended for the first week of the season for a violation of the NFL's player conduct policy. 

As Fowler returns to the team the front office had to make a tough decision: Who to release to make room for their young pass rusher?

They went with defensive tackle Michael Bennett, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, the same year as Fowler. Bennett was the Jaguars backup three technique, but was inactive in week one.
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The timing for Fowler's return couldn't be better. The Jaguars will need a strong showing from their pass rush as they look to take down the Patriots in an AFC Championship rematch in week two. Fowler's two sacks in the AFC Championship led the team, but weren't enough to get the Jaguars to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. The Jaguars registered six quarterback hits in week one and just two sacks. They'll likely need to create more pressure than they were able to against the Giants to emerge victorious next Sunday, especially if they are without the services of work horse running back Leonard Fournette, who has a minor hamstring injury.