The Jacksonville Jaguars have claimed S Ainsley Battles, RB Frank Moreau, CB Earthwind Moreland and QB Phil Stambaugh off waivers. To make room on the roster, the Jaguars waived CB Shad Criss, S Delvin Brown and RB Shyrone Stith. In addition, four players who were waived by the Jaguars on Sunday were named to the practice squad: G Chad Ward, TE Ryan Prince, WR Richmond Flowers and OT Patrick Venzke. Also signed to the practice squad was DE Randy Garner, who had been waived by the Atlanta Falcons.
Battles, 22, was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2000. As a rookie, he recorded 22 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and nine special teams tackles. The 5-10, 200-pound Battles started 33 consecutive games at strong safety at Vanderbilt.
Moreau, 24, was selected by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. As a rookie, he saw action in 11 games at running back, with 67 carries for 179 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-0, 223-pound Moreau finished his career at Louisville with 11 100-yard games and ranked fifth on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,599 yards.
Moreland, 24, signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent in 2000 and then was waived and claimed by the Jets. Last year, he was inactive for 15 games, seeing action in Game 7 vs. Miami. He was waived by the Jets in the 2001 preseason and signed by the Saints. The 5-11, 185-pound Moreland played opposite Jaguars CB Kiwaukee Thomas at Georgia Southern, where they won three consecutive Southern Conference titles.
Stambaugh, 23, originally signed with the Buffalo Bills as a rookie free agent in 2000 and played for the Rhein Fire of NFLEL this spring, where he completed 110 of 200 passes for 1,166 yards and two touchdowns. For the Saints in the preseason, he was 2 of 7 for 14 yards and one interception. The 6-3, 218-pound Stambaugh was a three-year All-Patriot league selection at Lehigh, where he holds the school record in almost every passing category, including completions, attempts, yards and touchdowns.
Ward, Prince, Flowers and Venzke all played in all four of the Jaguars' preseason games. Garner, 23, was selected in the sixth round of the 2001 draft by the Falcons. The 6-4, 267-pounder started his last 34 games for Arkansas, where he recorded 14.5 career sacks.
Criss, 25, played in three games for the Jaguars in 2000, primarily on special teams. He had seven tackles in the 2001 preseason.
Brown, 21, signed with the Jaguars as a rookie free agent from Miami, and he played in all four preseason games, primarily on special teams.
Stith, 21, was a seventh-round selection in the 2000 NFL draft by the Jaguars. As a rookie, he saw action in 14 games, with 20 carries for 55 yards. He also had 33 kickoff returns for 785 yards, both team single-season records. In the 2001 preseason, he had 14 carries for 34 yards, in addition to two kickoff returns for 51 yards.
