The Jaguars are heading into training camp with most of the 53-man picture already taking shape, and that leaves a thin slice of openings for the rest of the 90-man roster to chase. By this count, 48 spots are already more or less spoken for, which means the real drama starts with the players trying to claw their way onto the back end of the roster or into a practice squad role.
At quarterback, the top two jobs are already spoken for by Trevor Lawrence and Nick Mullens. That leaves one practice squad opening, and Carter Bradley has the edge because he spent last season there and already knows the playbook.
Joey Aguilar is still very much in the mix, though, and the Jaguars clearly liked what they saw enough to give the undrafted free agent a solid contract. He brings the size and arm strength teams look for.
Running back has a similar shape. Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and LeQuint Allen are the three backs who look safe, with Tuten and Rodriguez expected to handle most of the rushing load. That pushes J'Mari Taylor, DeeJay Dallas, and Ameer Abdullah into a fight for what is likely the RB4 spot, a job that could end up living on the practice squad once the season begins.
Wide receiver is crowded in a different way. Brady Boyd, Chandler Brayboy, Tim Jones, Ben Patterson, Trebor Peña, Austin Trammell, and Michael Wortham are all in the mix, but this is a tough room to crack.
Several veteran spots are already accounted for, and the Jaguars also added two sixth-round rookies in Josh Cameron and CJ Williams, both of whom turned heads during the offseason. Tim Jones and Austin Trammell are the veteran names to keep in mind, but even for them, making the 53 is a steep climb.
Tight end looks a little more straightforward, though not exactly settled. Brenton Strange and rookies Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol appear to have the first three spots covered, but the Jaguars may want to carry four because of the injuries they dealt with there last year.
That puts Quintin Morris and Hunter Long in the spotlight, with Morris looking like the favorite thanks to his work on special teams and as a blocker, which helped him get offensive snaps last season. Ethan Conner and Patrick Herbert are also in the group trying to break through.
The offensive line bubble is packed with names, but most of them look like practice squad possibilities. Jerome Carvin, Trystan Colon, Garrett Digiorgio, Ricky Lee, and Jimto Obidegwu all fall into that category.
Chuma Edoga is the one to watch more closely. He played both tackle and guard last year, and while Emmanuel Pregnon’s arrival may have pushed him down a notch, Edoga could still land a roster spot depending on Cole Van Lanen’s recovery from last year’s injury.
On the defensive line, Matt Dickerson stands out. Quinton Bohanna, T.J.
Bollers, Jalen Hunt, and Keivie Rose are all in the mix, but Dickerson is the clearest name to follow. He re-signed this offseason after showing something in a depth role last year, and the staff clearly had a high opinion of him.
If one of these tackles sticks, Dickerson feels like the guy.
Edge rusher brings another intriguing rookie battle. Zach Durfee, Quindarius Dunnigan, and Bryan Thomas Jr. are all trying to force their way in, and the Jaguars already appear to have five defensive end spots set.
The sixth could go to one of these younger pass rushers. Bryan Thomas Jr. has a fascinating pass-rush profile as an undrafted free agent, but Durfee, a seventh-round pick, is the one who looks most likely to make the roster out of camp.
Linebacker may be the most unsettled room on the roster. The starting spot across from Foyesade Oluokun, between Ventrell Miller and Branson Combs, still needs to be decided, and that opens the door for Parker Hughes, Jalen McLeod, and Yasir Abdullah. Of that trio, McLeod looks like the best bet.
Cornerback should produce at least one bubble winner. Christian Braswell, Jabbar Muhammad, Preston Hodge, Dane Jackson, Keni-H Lovely, and Devon Marshall are all in the mix.
Marshall and Hodge are two undrafted free agents who made plays during the offseason program, but the two names to watch are Muhammad and Braswell. Braswell is a trusted veteran who has already made the roster more than once, while Muhammad was the only player whose offseason performance could match Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.
Safety looks like the toughest hill of all for the final group of hopefuls. Devin Neal Jr., Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig, and Trevian Thomas are battling uphill behind Antonio Johnson, Eric Murray, and Caleb Ransaw, who are the clear top three.
Jalen Huskey, a top-100 pick in April, is also in the mix, and Rayuan Lane may be the Jaguars' most important special teamer who isn't Cam Little/Logan Cooke Ross Matiscik. If any of the bubble safeties has a real shot, Silmon-Craig is the one to watch, though he is likely headed for another year on the practice squad.
In Other News...
Three Jaguars Veterans Are Already Feeling Camp Pressure
Training camp has a way of exposing the veterans who can no longer live on reputation, and that is where Hunter Long, Chuma Edoga and Patrick Mekari find themselves as the Jaguars sort through the early stages of the summer. Each player enters camp with a different kind of pressure, but the common thread is the same: Jacksonville has added enough young competition that simply showing up and being experienced will not be enough to hold a job.
For Long, the tight end room has gotten crowded enough that every rep matters. Edoga is trying to protect his place in an offensive line mix that has changed around him, while Mekari is under the kind of scrutiny that comes with being asked to stabilize a starting role after uneven production in key blocking areas. For all three, the next few weeks are less about easing into the season and more about proving the Jaguars cannot afford to move on. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Rookie CJ Williams Is Forcing His Way Into The Conversation
CJ Williams has already done enough this spring to get noticed in a Jaguars receiver room that is still taking shape. The sixth-round rookie arrived in Jacksonville with a winding college path behind him, moving from USC to Wisconsin and then Stanford, where his final season hinted at the kind of steady production and reliability that can translate to the next level. Since then, he has carried that momentum into offseason work, earning praise from the coaching staff for the way he has handled the transition.
What stands out most is not just the rsum, but how quickly Williams has started to look like he belongs in the mix. He has shown the kind of work ethic and playmaking ability that can make a late-round pick harder to ignore, especially when a team is sorting out roles and searching for dependable receivers. For Jacksonville, the question now is whether the early buzz around Williams is simply a spring storyline or the start of something more meaningful once the real competition begins. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Camp Opens With One Big Readiness Question Hanging Over It
The Jaguars are set to open training camp July 29, with rookies due in a few days earlier and veterans following on July 28, and there will be plenty of chances for fans to get a first look once practices get underway. Jacksonville also has a slate of open sessions on the calendar, including public access around joint work with the Panthers and Buccaneers, as the team starts turning offseason planning into actual on-field evaluation.
A lot of the early attention will go beyond the usual camp buzz, because the Jaguars have already checked off some major business by locking up core pieces like Travon Walker and Brenton Strange. Even so, the first week still carries a familiar camp edge for Jacksonville, with injury updates and roster spots in play as the team tries to sort out who is ready to go when the pads come on. [Read more 🡒]