JACKSONVILLE – He's back, healthy and really happy.
Dawuane Smoot's story is an uplifting one. It's also a relatively rare one. Know this about Smoot: He appreciates being part of that story, and he's in a good place early in the Jaguars' 2025 regular season.
"It definitely feels like right thing," he said.
Smoot, a nine-year veteran defensive end, joined senior writer John Oehser for this 2025 Week 3 O-Zone Podcast. He discussed multiple topics, including what he considers a special feeling around what he sees as an ascending team.
"It's a new young energy," Smoot said. "They're bringing in a 'we-just-don't-care' kind of energy and that's a good thing. It's about style of play and how we come together as a team. That's different. You see that in the winning locker rooms.
"It's about the process. It's about what we do every day. They're bringing in a new regime and a new culture here in Jacksonville for sure."
Smoot on the podcast discussed returning to full strength late in his career after what many believe could be a career-ending Achilles injury while playing with the Jaguars late in the 2022 season.
"My wife is always joking about it and saying I was delusional," he said. "I had to be delusional. My mindset was, 'I'm going to be back in eight months.' I had to be delusional because I heard so many things about it being career-ending, people saying, 'You'll never come back from it at your size.'
"I was like, 'I'm coming back in eight months. I'm going to set a record.' That's how I attacked my recovery. I feel like I'm definitely back to 100 percent now, for sure."
Smoot also discussed his feelings about again playing for the Jaguars in Jacksonville, a team and a town with which he has a special connection. Smoot, a third-round selection by the Jaguars in the 2017 NFL Draft, played his first seven NFL seasons with the team before playing with the Buffalo Bills in 2024. He re-signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent on June 3.
"I'm deep into my faith and I feel like God brought me back here for a reason," he said. "When I got that call and they wanted me back, it was a no-brainer. It was like, 'All right. How are we going to make this happen?'''
Smoot, too, said the Jaguars (1-1) remain confident entering Sunday's 2025 Week 3 AFC South matchup against the Houston Texans (0-2) at EverBank Stadium. The Jaguars beat the Carolina Panthers 26-10 at home in Week 1 before losing in the final minute to the Cincinnati Bengals 31-27 on the road in Week 2.
"We're focused," he said. "We're not letting that [loss to Cincinnati] snowball. We know we played an excellent game and there were a couple of mistakes we made and we just didn't come out on top at the end. We focused on all the good this week and really looked under a microscope at the bad things.
"We dissected everything and got those things fixed this week. We're very focused this week."
To listen to the entire O-Zone Podcast with Smoot, tune-in below. For more interviews on the O-Zone Podcast, click HERE.
