JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars on Thursday continued to add defensive line depth.
And for the second time this week, the depth came from the defensive line of the New England Patriots.
Kyle Love, a four-year veteran defensive tackle released by the Patriots Wednesday, on Thursday was claimed off waivers by the Jaguars, the team announced Thursday afternoon.
The Jaguars claimed defensive end Brandon Deaderick off waivers from the Patriots on Tuesday.
Love (6-feet-1, 315 pounds), who originally signed with the Patriots as a college free agent from Mississippi State following the 2010 NFL Draft, played in all 16 games for New England each of the past two seasons. He started 24 games over that span, including 11 this past season.
The Patriots released Love Wednesday with a non-football illness designation after he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. He reportedly had lost 30 pounds and had been unable to participate in the team's offseason program because of the situation, but his agent, Richard Kopelman, told the Boston Globe he expected Love to be 100 percent within "a matter of weeks" and to be able to participate in training camp.
Love registered 40 tackles and 1.5 sacks this past season.
With the acquisition, an offseason of transition along the Jaguars' defensive line continues under first-year Head Coach Gus Bradley and first-year General Manager David Caldwell.
The team earlier this offseason signed defensive tackles Sen'Derrick Marks and Roy Miller as free agents, and former starting tackle Tyson Alualu said Wednesday is moving to end. The signing of Deaderick gives the Jaguars a player who has played both end and tackle for New England, and Love's addition Thursday gives the Jaguars six full-time tackles on the roster: Marks, Miller, second-year veteran Jeris Pendleton, fourth-year veteran D'Anthony Smith and rookie free agents Abry Jones and T.J. Barnes.
Jason Babin is expected to start at the team's Leo linebacker/end position, with the other ends now on the roster being Alualu, fourth-year veteran Austen Lane, second-year veteran Andre Branch, sixth-year veteran Jeremy Mincey, first-year veteran Ryan Davis and rookie free agents Pannel Egboh, Paul Hazel and J.D. Griggs.
