Scott Orndoff signs with Jacksonville Jaguars

Former Pitt tight end Scott Orndoff signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars last Wednesday after the team waived injured tight end Zach Conque, according to an announcement from the team.

Orndoff originally signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in May 2017 after going undrafted out of college. However, he was waived by the team three months later and was picked up by the Detroit Lions for a brief stint to close out the preseason. He then moved on to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad during the regular season but didn’t manage to stick there either.

During his college career, Orndoff developed into a solid receiving option for former Panthers quarterback Nathan Peterman, and the pair played an integral role in Pitt’s 43-42 upset victory over eventual national champion Clemson at Clemson Memorial Stadium in November 2016. In that memorable game, the tight end compiled 128 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches.

That season, which was Orndoff’s best at Pitt, the former Panther amassed 579 yards and five touchdowns on 35 catches. He also proved himself as a big-play threat, given his 55-yard touchdown reception against Clemson and a similar 74-yard score against Georgia Tech.

All told, he averaged 16.5 yards per reception in 2016, which ranked 10th in the ACC, and 18.8 in 2015, making him a viable receiving threat for Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles in the event that he’s able to eventually carve himself out a role on the newly competitive AFC South team.

With that said, he faces competition at the position from Austin Seferian-Jenkins, a four-year NFL veteran; Niles Paul, a six-year veteran; James O’Shaughnessy, a three-year veteran; Ben Koyack, a two-year veteran; and David Grinnage, a former NC State standout.