The NFL offseason is off and running, for better or for worse... worse if you’re one of many Illini fans who also happen to be Chicago Bears fans. That’s neither here nor there.

Yesterday brought some Dawuane Smoot news. He’s re-signing with the team that drafted him, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jihad Ward is a Jacksonville Jaguar

Who else joins Dawuane Smoot in Duuuval next season? The former Illini player and Baltimore Ravens defensive end, Jihad Ward. That’s right. The two former Illini teammates who played together along the defensive line at Illinois in 2014 and ‘15 now find themselves together again in the pros.