The preseason is finally in the books for the Jaguars, and Friday night at EverBank Stadium gave them one last clean look before the roster gets trimmed down. Jacksonville handled the Buccaneers 19-0 to finish 2-1, and the game offered a pretty clear read on a few players fighting for spots.
Ameer Abdullah was the name that stood out most for what didn’t happen. After looking like he may have played his way onto the roster against the Carolina Panthers a week earlier, he sat out Friday along with most of the Jaguars’ obvious locks.
If Jacksonville had any real doubt about carrying him, it would have made sense to get him some work with DeeJay Dallas and J'Mari Taylor. Instead, the quiet night looked like another sign that Abdullah is in good shape for Sunday.
There’s still a fair question around whether Abdullah would be in the same position if LeQuint Allen were healthier, but that’s not the reality the Jaguars are dealing with right now.
On the defensive side, Jalen McLeod may have made the strongest push of the night for a roster spot. The question for a few weeks had been whether Jacksonville should keep Yasir Abdullah or McLeod, and Friday felt like a turning point. McLeod finally got a chance to show what he can do in a live game, and he made it count.
He finished with seven tackles in the first half, which is a huge number for a player at a spot that doesn’t usually pile them up. He also added a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss on a coverage play, turning in the kind of preseason debut that gets coaches’ attention.
The quarterback battle, or what’s left of it, also got a little clearer. Nick Mullens keeps looking like the safest QB2 on the roster, and the latest showing only reinforced that. He opened the game 5-of-7 for 62 yards across the first two drives, good for a 98.5 passer rating.
Carter Bradley took over after Mullens and went 1-of-5 for five yards before ending the half with a 23-yard completion to Austin Trammell. Joey Aguilar, meanwhile, still looks too raw to be considered a real backup option right now. Mullens, at this point, appears to be operating on a different level.
Bryan Thomas Jr. kept doing what he’s done all preseason: showing up everywhere. The undrafted rookie had another strong night against Tampa Bay, once again pressuring the quarterback and nearly forcing a strip-sack that would have led to a Jalen Huskey touchdown before the play was ruled incomplete.
Thomas has done just about everything an undrafted free agent can do to force the issue. If he doesn’t make the 53-man roster, it would have to be because Jacksonville is heavily committed to the two rookie defensive ends it drafted. Otherwise, Thomas has been the Jaguars’ most impressive rookie pass-rusher since camp opened.
“He definitely has shown me some things. He's played explosively in the games, and I think he's jumped out.
His play style, his effort, that's jumped out. And that's what we saw in him watching his tape at South Carolina," Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said earlier in the week about the rookie pass-rusher.
"He was a guy that was going to run and hit. He was going to play his ass off every play.
That's what, honestly, we really liked about him and we were fired up to get him in here for that reason. He's proven to do that here in the summer and since the spring, since he's been here.”
And then there’s Cam Little, who keeps making the kicking game look as stable as anything on this roster. He missed very little in camp, went perfect through three preseason games, and capped that run with a 61-yard field goal early in the second quarter against Tampa Bay. It was his first long attempt of the summer, and he knocked it through with ease.
Everything Little has shown this offseason points to another big year in 2026 after the strong season he put together a year ago. He’s looked sharper, steadier, and more comfortable with every week, and the Jaguars’ kicking game looks like it’s in good hands.
In Other News...
Travis Hunter's Jaguars Role Is Raising One Huge Question
During joint practices with the Buccaneers, Travis Hunter spent most of his time on the defensive side, with only limited wide receiver work during the 7-on-7 periods. It was another reminder that Jacksonville has continued to talk about Hunter as a true two-way player, even if the early practice rhythm has leaned more heavily toward defense.
Hunters usage in camp has started to sharpen the biggest question around his role: how much offense will the Jaguars actually ask him to handle once the games count? The teams commitment to keeping both sides of his game in play is clear, but recent practice patterns have left the wide receiver piece less certain, and that balance will be worth watching closely as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fringe Players Have One Last Shot To Force Tough Decisions
The Jaguars get one more preseason chance to sort through the back end of the roster when they host Tampa Bay at EverBank Stadium, a final live look before decisions get much harder. For players hanging on the fringe, this is the kind of game that can still matter more than the score line, because every snap helps shape how the staff views depth, special teams value and who belongs in the conversation once the roster starts shrinking.
Jacksonville has some real sorting to do in a few key areas, with battles still unfolding at running back, right tackle and defensive tackle as the cutdown date approaches. The Buccaneers also bring a familiar opponent into the building, and with the Jaguars' next regular-season game looming after the preseason wraps, this is the last clean stage for anyone trying to turn one more opportunity into a job. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Take Control As Buccaneers Backup Battle Gets Messy
The Jaguars had little trouble settling into their preseason finale against Tampa Bay, taking a 3-0 lead into halftime while the Buccaneers sorted through the last round of roster auditions. For Jacksonville, the setting offered one more look at how the group handles a game that has the feel of a final exam, with the offense doing just enough early and the defense keeping the Bucs from finding much rhythm.
On the other side, Tampa Bays backup battle turned choppy in a hurry. Anthony Nelson made his presence felt with a sack, but quarterback Jalon Daniels had a rough half marked by shaky accuracy and a turnover, leaving the Buccaneers with more questions than answers as the evaluation window narrowed and the third preseason game drifted toward its finish. [Read more 🡒]