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Should the Jaguars Cut Arik Armstead? · Duval Daily: A Jacksonville Jaguars Podcast

• 0:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: Jacksonville Jaguar's fans, welcome in to do all daily presented by Jinjag.com.
• 0:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Jordan Luger.
• 0:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks so much for being here.
• 0:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: Wednesday, February 18th.
• 0:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: Right now, we're taking a look at an article from NFL.com from Matt O'Cotta, a programmer, and a fantasy content writer.
• 0:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: So
• 0:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: 26 NFL free agency, notable AFC cut candidates.
• 0:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: The jag wars do have a player on the list.
• 0:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: So we're gonna talk about that here today.
• 0:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: Really appreciate y'all tuning in.
• 0:31
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• 0:35
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• 0:37
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like the hat I'm wearing right now.
• 0:38
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• 0:39
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• 0:40
  [SPEAKER_00]: You can also hit that hype button.
• 0:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So the player that lands on this list is probably a surprise to no one.
• 0:47
  [SPEAKER_00]: But it's Eric Armstead, and I don't say it's a surprise to no one because he's not playing well.
• 0:51
  [SPEAKER_00]: That's not the case.
• 0:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: He was playing very, very well for the Jaguars in 2025, think you would have liked a little bit more past rush consistency throughout the year, but he was also dealing with a hand injury towards the end.
• 1:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I definitely think that that impacted his ability to be his peak effectiveness.
• 1:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: But this is what Matt Ocata had to say about Eric Armstead being a potential cap casualty.
• 1:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: for your Jacksonville Jaguars.
• 1:16
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Jaguars took a huge step forward in 2025 winning nine more games than they did in 2024 and clinching a division title, but that didn't have all that much to do with their past events.
• 1:28
  [SPEAKER_00]: But that didn't have all that much to do with their past defense, had even less to do with their past rush, and had very little to do with their Garmsted.
• 1:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think that that's O'Kada being a fantasy and numbers person that did not actually watch football.
• 1:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: I remember I said had a good season for the Jack Wars.
• 1:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: At 32 years old, Arm said was largely meddling on the interior of the defensive line, recording five and a half sacks and earning an extremely average 63 PFF defensive rate.
• 1:56
  [SPEAKER_00]: Again, this is someone who is not watching the game.
• 1:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: He's just talking about box score and PFF arbitrary grading.
• 2:06
  [SPEAKER_00]: But Akata continues, the issue is that he carries a $19.4 million capit into $20.26, only 2.3 million of which become savings with a pre-June 1 cut, instead arm-stead should be a strong consideration for one of the Jaguar's post-June 1 cuts, which would net a whopping $14.5 million in cap savings.
• 2:25
  [SPEAKER_00]: No other post-June one release would come close to that for the team.
• 2:29
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if it's looking to move on from Armstead, that designation would make a ton of sense.
• 2:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: And considering the Jags are 11.6 million over the cap, 6 worst and only they will likely need to make some tougher cuts to set up for another successful run in the AFC South.
• 2:44
  [SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
• 2:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: Again, I don't think that the analysis there is very strong or very thorough, very in-depth at all.
• 2:52
  [SPEAKER_00]: They didn't acknowledge anything about the hand injury that he suffered.
• 2:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: But I think the cap is the cap, it makes sense.
• 3:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: And the Jaguars are not a team that is cash strapped.
• 3:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: They are a team that is cap strapped.
• 3:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: They have to operate within the rules of the salary cap.
• 3:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: So if Eric Garm said was a cap casualty for the Jaguars, again, they'd get that $14.5 million post June one, that is money that can help you.
• 3:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: Like it can help you, there's still going to be free agents available at that time that can help you win football games, and it can also help you sign your draft class.
• 3:33
  [SPEAKER_00]: So it's not like that 14 and a half doesn't help it.
• 3:36
  [SPEAKER_00]: And it also gives you flexibility to make trades and make moves after that time.
• 3:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: The Jaguars are a team with James Ladsson and Company where if they go into the season and there's a need that they didn't predict or foresee.
• 3:55
  [SPEAKER_00]: They're a team that's more than willing to
• 3:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: make loops and season, right?
• 4:00
  [SPEAKER_00]: You saw that with the Jacobi Myers trade.
• 4:02
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were also pushing for Quinn and Williams.
• 4:05
  [SPEAKER_00]: They were trying to trade for Quinn and Williams.
• 4:07
  [SPEAKER_00]: They thought they were going to get him.
• 4:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: They didn't.
• 4:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Cowboys came in with a better offer than the Jaguar that.
• 4:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: So, yes.
• 4:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: That money can't help.
• 4:18
  [SPEAKER_00]: What it won't help you with, I say, money, that cap space can help.
• 4:22
  [SPEAKER_00]: What it won't help you with is signing free agents, early on in free agency, March, when the legal tampering period window opens, March 9th.
• 4:35
  [SPEAKER_00]: It also creates a big hole.
• 4:38
  [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, if you lose Eric Armstead,
• 4:42
  [SPEAKER_00]: The way I've been looking at it is my best possible outcome for the Jaguars is to keep Eric Armstrong's dead and either restructure his contract or just leave it as it is and potentially move on following the 2026 season, but I think that the Jaguars should be all in on 2026 without completely screwing up their situation long term without
• 5:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: You know getting rid of all their draft picks and and using all their cops face moving forward They need to have some flexibility moving forward But they should be all in on twenty twenty six because they're a veteran team They're team going into year two.
• 5:17
  [SPEAKER_00]: You've seen teams win championships Year two of a new regime and this is probably gonna be their last year if they're good again with Anthony Campanile and Great Eden ski so
• 5:27
  [SPEAKER_00]: Those are the reasons why I think the Jaguar should be all in.
• 5:31
  [SPEAKER_00]: On top of the fact that I just think that they might be the best team in the AFC right now.
• 5:34
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I would like to see the Jaguar's key barricar, I'm said, and add to the defensive line.
• 5:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: But if they moved on from Ericar, I'm said, and he was a cap casualty as Okada talks about here.
• 5:46
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think not only are you trying to replace what he brought to you last year, but you're also trying to add.
• 5:53
  [SPEAKER_00]: as well.
• 5:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: So you're creating more of a need.
• 5:57
  [SPEAKER_00]: Do you have the ability to fill that need?
• 6:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: Does the $14.5 million give you the ability to fill that need after you cut air crime?
• 6:09
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's tough to you.
• 6:11
  [SPEAKER_00]: We'll see what they end up doing.
• 6:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: My best guess is that they keep air crime
• 6:19
  [SPEAKER_00]: they know that while you know fantasy analysts are going to sit here and say that he gave them middle-ing play on the defensive interior they know that that's not true within that building they know that when he was healthy he was producing at a higher level as a past Russia and they also know the job that he did in the AFC wildcard round the jack wars decided they were not going
• 6:48
  [SPEAKER_00]: They played the run extremely well.
• 6:50
  [SPEAKER_00]: Eric Armstrong said was a big part of that, even dealing with the hand issue.
• 6:54
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that personally, I would like to see him back and then you add to this group.
• 7:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: And then, you know, let him walk after 2026, keep adding, think the Jaguars over the next couple years, they need to keep adding to their lines of scrimmage.
• 7:14
  [SPEAKER_00]: You got to keep replenishing and upgrading and doing the best you can there, and there's guys in this draft class that I think that they can work to upgrade the Lyde's skirmish on both sides.
• 7:24
  [SPEAKER_00]: So to me, keeping aerograms to make more sense, but if the Jaguars don't want to get into the restructure world with Josh Hines Allen and Trevor Lawrence, then maybe
• 7:39
  [SPEAKER_00]: Eric Armstrong's dead moving on does make sense.
• 7:41
  [SPEAKER_00]: So I, again, think it creates a hole that doesn't necessarily need to be created when you are ready, want to add talent to your defensive line, subtracting somebody who is talented, who is proven in the playoffs, who can get the job done for you.
• 7:58
  [SPEAKER_00]: You need a rotation.
• 7:59
  [SPEAKER_00]: It's not like, okay, you lose Eric Armstrong's dead, you just replace him with one guy.
• 8:03
  [SPEAKER_00]: I think,
• 8:04
  [SPEAKER_00]: you wanted to have Eric Armstrong's dead level talent and add to that position group, right?
• 8:08
  [SPEAKER_00]: So that's where I'm at with this one.
• 8:10
  [SPEAKER_00]: Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
• 8:12
  [SPEAKER_00]: If you enjoy the content, please like and subscribe.
• 8:15
  [SPEAKER_00]: Y'all have a good one.