J.R. Reed Protected as a Practice Squad Member for Jaguars

As the NFL season nears, organizations will be faced to trim down the roster numbers all the way down to 53, with nearly 10 players on the practice squad. Of course, there won't be a preseason for un-drafted players to make a name for themselves. But, there will likely be a 'protected' practice squad to accommodate for frequent roster changes throughout the season.

JagsWire of USATodaySports lists J.R. Reed as one of seven candidates to be a part of the protected practice squad, also mentioning he may be good enough to make the final roster:

"J.R. Reed is another player who went undrafted but should’ve been a late-round selection. While playing for a Georgia Bulldogs defense that was one of the best in the country, Reed was a team leader who always found himself near the football making heady plays." 

That's nothing new to Georgia fans. A guy that fought his way from being a G5 athlete to a starting SEC safety that merely has to make smart plays to make that jump. Now, it looks like Reed is prepared to make a similar leap in the NFL in terms of roles.

Dawgs Daily reached out to Demetrius Harvey who covers the Jaguars for BigCatCountry.com of SB Nation. Harvey has been at Jaguars training camp all week and he's told us it appears Reed is running with the third and fourth group of safeties. He also mentioned that their safeties group down in Jacksonville is one of the thinnest groups they have, which bodes well for Reed. However, without preseason games, it looks like Reed will have to make the roster by impressing on special teams throughout practices. 

Essentially, Reed has the talent to be on the final roster for the Jaguars, but the team just might not be ready to give up on the development of a couple of guys who have been in the system longer than him. That includes safety Daniel Thomas from Auburn whom they drafted in the fifth round in this year's NFL Draft.

God forbid an injury or a positive COVID test in the secondary, J.R. Reed may be one of the first names the team would look to in that situation. 

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