JACKSONVILLE – Donte Moncrief is getting another chance in the AFC South.
He's also getting a chance to help define a wide receiver corps on a team that came within a game of the Super Bowl last season.
Moncrief, who played his first four NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, on Thursday joined the Jaguars when he signed with the team as an unrestricted free agent. The sides made the move official Thursday morning at EverBank Field around noon.
"I'm happy to be here; Jacksonville is home now," Moncrief said.
Moncrief (6-feet-2, 216 pounds), a third-round selection from the University of Mississippi in the 2014 NFL Draft, played in 53 games in four NFL seasons for the Colts and started 27 games. He has 152 career receptions for 1,875 yards and 18 touchdowns.
He added that it was "a little weird" walking into EverBank Field, but added that he looked forward to playing with the Jaguars' secondary rather than against. Both Jaguars starting cornerbacks – Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye – were Pro Bowl and Associated Press All-Pro selections in 2017.
"The secondary is the best secondary in the NFL," he said.
Moncrief played in all 16 games in both 2014 and 2015, catching a career-high 64 passes for 733 yards and six touchdowns in 2015. He played nine games in 2016 and 12 this past season, catching seven touchdown passes in 2016.
He missed six games with a shoulder sprain in 2016 and another with a hamstring issue. He missed four games with an ankle issue this past season when he caught a career-low 26 passes during a season in which Colts starter Andrew Luck did not play because of a shoulder injury.
"I have a chip on my shoulder," Moncrief said. "I'm ready to come out here and compete and show these guys what I can do, get out there on the field and make plays for my team."
The Jaguars also this week re-signed fifth-year veteran Marqise Lee, with Allen Hurns, Dede Westbrook, Jaydon Mickens and Keelan Cole all also on the team's roster having caught passes and playing extensively for the Jaguars last season.
Allen Robinson, a Pro Bowl selection for the Jaguars in 2015 who missed last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, reportedly will sign as an unrestricted free agent with the Chicago Bears on Thursday.
The Jaguars on Thursday also signed guard Andrew Norwell (Carolina), safety Don Carey (Detroit), safety Cody Davis (Los Angeles Rams) and tight end Niles Paul (Washington) as unrestricted free agents.
