The Jaguars are heading into a pivotal stretch of training camp, and a few players are starting to feel the squeeze.
With Tuesday’s practice at the Miller Electric Center kicking off the third week and a trip to New Orleans coming for joint work with the Saints before Saturday’s first preseason game, this is the kind of week that can shift roster battles fast. And for a handful of players, the margin for error is shrinking.
One of the clearest names hovering near that line is Yasir Abdullah. After last week’s scrimmage, Jalen McLeod looked like he had separated himself a bit in the fight for the backup strong side linebacker job, even though Abdullah has flashed at times too. The problem for both players is simple: this is a narrow role, and Jacksonville only has so many spots available for strong side linebackers on the 53-man roster.
Abdullah has already carved out value as a core special teamer, but the Jaguars are also chasing pass-rush upside wherever they can find it. McLeod brings that element, and Anthony Campanile has already backed the second-year defender.
Abdullah hasn’t done anything wrong. This is more about the math of the roster than a stumble on his part.
Christian Braswell is in a different spot, but the pressure is real there too. Jacksonville has been working him back gradually through the first half of camp, with most of his practice work coming in individual drills so far. The team already knows what he can do on defense and on special teams, so there isn’t much mystery attached to his game.
Still, the longer Braswell sits, the more the Jaguars get a look at other backup corners who are making noise. Jabbar Muhammad and Devon Marshall have both shown enough to matter, especially since both can line up inside and outside the way Braswell can. If Braswell can’t get back to full speed soon, he could end up as the guy left waiting while the younger options push ahead.
Then there’s the tight end group, which looked like it might be headed toward four roster spots not long ago. Earlier in the spring and summer, Quintin Morris seemed like the favorite to claim that fourth job behind Brenton Strange and rookie tight ends Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol. But a few weeks into camp, that picture has changed.
The Jaguars just haven’t leaned on the position enough beyond those first three tight ends to make a fourth spot feel necessary unless that player has clearly earned his place on his own. Morris hasn’t separated in that way so far, and last Friday’s scrimmage brought another setback when he was injured. How long that lingers is still unclear, but any lost time could make an already tough climb even steeper.
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