After winning their season opener over the Tennessee Titans, the Jacksonville Jaguars have dropped four straight to fall to 1-4 on the 2011 NFL season. On Tuesday, the Jags made a minor roster transaction by signing former Detroit Lions punter Nick Harris and releasing veteran Matt Turk. The 43-year old Turk had struggled with his 27 punting opportunities this season, averaging a mere 39.7 yards per punt. The final straw might have been his 22-yard fourth quarter punt during Jacksonville's 30-20 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday. We'll see if Turk finally decides to call it a career, or if he'd be willing to join another team on short notice were his services needed at some point this season.
Turk's replacement, Harris, last punted for the Lions in 2010. The 33-year old averaged a healthy 44.6 yards per punt last season.He has yet to kick in 2011, but has been preparing for when an opportunity presented itself.
With the slow development of the Jaguars offense under rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, there's an even higher premium placed on the Jaguars winning the field position battle with sound special teams play. That has not been the case so far this year. The Jaguars face a tough test in Week 6 when they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. After a sluggish 2-2 start, the Steelers looked like the defending AFC champions this past Sunday when they hammered one of Jacksonville's divisional rivals, the Tennessee Titans.
For more Jaguars coverage leading up to Week 6, stop by Big Cat Country.