JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jeremy Mincey is dealing with the death of a childhood friend and thoughts that his starting job might be in jeopardy.
Mincey was excused from Saturday’s morning walkthrough to attend his buddy’s funeral. When he returned to practice later that day, the Jaguars had signed veteran defensive end Matt Roth to a $3 million, one-year contract.
Considering Roth’s arrival, Aaron Kampman’s return from a knee injury, Austen Lane’s huge strides in his second season and defensive tackle Leger Douzable’s repetitions at end, Mincey had concerns he was being relegated to a backup role.
But defensive line coach Joe Cullen insists that’s not the case.
Although Mincey went from getting time with the starters to working with the second team, Cullen says it “was by no way a demotion.”
