The Jacksonville Jaguars have decided to use their lofty waiver position in an effort to improve their NFL-worst pass rush.
The Jaguars claimed former Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Jason Babin off waivers Wednesday, a source close to the player told NFL.com's Ian Rapoport and the team later confirmed.
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The Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins also placed claims on Babin, but only the Kansas City Chiefs had a higher position in the NFL's waiver-claim priority list than the Jaguars, so he went to Jacksonville, which has an NFL-low 13 sacks this season.
The Jaguars will be responsible for the remaining $1.69 million of Babin's 2012 salary. They also will inherit the terms of the rest of his contract, which calls for $4.225 million in 2013 and, as ProFootballTalk.com points out, can be voided by Babin after that season.
Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey said Babin, who has 5.5 sacks this season, will play Sunday at Buffalo.
"We've got five games and we're trying to win these games," Mularkey said, via The Associated Press. "It's a sign that we're trying to show our team that we're trying to win right now, that this is not 'play the young guys and do the evaluating.' We're trying to win, and we're doing whatever we can to improve our roster. This is a great move."
It's a smart move by the Jaguars: They are looking for pass-rush help, and Babin fits their 4-3 scheme well. More importantly, the Jaguars get a five-week test drive to see if they want to keep Babin at a relatively low rate for 2013. If Babin doesn't play well, the Jaguars easily can release him in the offseason, just like the Eagles did Tuesday.
The news will come as a disappointment to fans of some contending teams that hoped for a random late-season acquisition. But the NFL rules favor parity, and that means small advantages for squads like Jacksonville at the bottom of the standings. This is a perfect example of that concept in action.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.