Quarterback Jake Luton among five players waived in Jaguars first cutdown of training camp
On Monday, the Jaguars waived five players in order to trim their roster to 85 in accordance with league rules prior to the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline.
Later that evening, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson addressed the media and was asked about the cutdown day, something that he understands all too well having been in that position before as a player in the NFL.
"First of all, [I] appreciate everything that those guys did for us [in the] offseason, training camp," said Pederson.
"They gave everything they had to us, and we appreciate that. I've been in their shoes too many times [and] understand exactly and know exactly what they're going through, it's just part of the business."
Among those waived was quarterback Jake Luton, who has served as the team's third-string QB throughout training camp. In addition to Luton, the Jaguars waived running back Matt Colburn, wide receiver Ryan McDaniel and outside linebacker Wyatt Ray.
The team also waived kicker Elliott Fry with an injury designation. He will revert to the team's reserve/injured list in the event he clears waivers.
Over two preseason games this year, Luton completed 19 of 38 passes for 185 yards and one interception.
In 2020, Luton started three games for Jacksonville, completing 60 passes for 624 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions.
Though, Pederson was mum on the exact reasons as to why Luton was waived, he did give a brief explanation of what went into the decision, indicating that the team will get a chance to see more of rookie QB E.J. Perry, who the team brought back to the team six days ago after spending the offseason signed as an undrafted free agent in May.
"Sometimes having an extra quarterback, you're not getting enough snaps now because you're getting your starters ready to go," Pederson said of the move to waive Luton. "And we haven't seen EJ enough yet. So it's time for him to perform."
Perry did not see any action against the Browns last Thursday, but should see plenty of action on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Fry was signed July 29 to compete for the team's placekicker position with veteran Ryan Santoso. Last week, both Fry and Santoso connected on field goals, with Fry making his from 23 yards out, while Santoso from 38.
British defensive back Ayo Oyelola doesn't count against roster total
Jacksonville also holds a special roster exemption throughout camp through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program as part of the league’s efforts to strengthen the pipeline of international players.
Defensive back Ayo Oyelola out of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom does not currently count against the Jaguars’ roster total due to the special exemption.
Oyelola, 5-foot-11, 213 pounds, will be carried on the roster until at least the end of camp. At that point, he will be eligible for an international player practice squad exemption, giving the Jaguars an extra practice squad member.
He would be eligible to be elevated to the active roster during the season if he remains on the team through the practice squad exemption.
The next roster cut-down deadline is set for Aug. 23 at 4 p.m., with five more players due to be waived. By league rules, all NFL teams must trim their roster from 80 to 53 by Aug. 30.
Contact Demetrius Harvey at Dsharvey@gannett.com or on Twitter @Demetrius82
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars cut five from roster, including quarterback Jake Luton
