The Jaguars are heading into 2026 with one of the NFL’s youngest rosters, and the numbers make that plain.
Per Spotrac, Jacksonville’s 53-man roster carries an average age of 25.9 years old. That puts the Jaguars among the youngest teams in the league and near the bottom of the AFC South. They’re tied with the Tennessee Titans, while the Houston Texans sit at 26.1 and the Indianapolis Colts at 26.3.
That youth is no accident. The Jaguars have turned over a lot of the roster over the last two years, and the change has been especially noticeable in the past year under general manager James Gladstone.
He’s built the group around younger players, and that includes more than just rookies. Some of Jacksonville’s biggest names are still on the young side.
Trevor Lawrence is only 26, and he’s joined by a crop of rising players who are even younger, including Brian Thomas, Jr., Travis Hunter, Cam Little, and Bhayshul Tuten.
At the same time, the roster still has veteran presence. Ameer Abdullah is the oldest player on the team at 33, and there are several others in their 30s, including Arik Armstead, Dennis Gardeck, Eric Murray, Logan Cooke, Jourdan Lewis, and Foyesade Oluokun.
But the overall identity is clear: this is a young roster centered on young talent. Lawrence being just 26 stands out in particular, especially with some critics suggesting he’s already shown he can be unreliable or that he’s set in his ways.
The reality is simpler than that. He’s still early in his career and still has time to grow into the generational talent he’s been billed as.
Jacksonville hasn’t been this young since 2020. In the seasons after that, the roster steadily got older and more veteran-heavy. This latest swing back toward youth reflects Gladstone’s approach, though the payoff will depend on how many of these younger players become long-term contributors.
In Other News...
Jaguars May Not Be Done Losing Young Defensive Talent
Several players the Jaguars moved on from as they work toward finalizing the roster could quickly resurface elsewhere, with a few names standing out as possible waiver claims around the league. Linebackers Jack Kiser and Jalen McLeod, along with cornerback Jabbar Muhammad, are the kinds of young defenders teams often keep tabs on at this stage, especially when special teams value can help push a player onto the 53-man edge.
There is also a separate layer to watch with veterans Chuma Edoga and Nick Mullens, both of whom are free agents because they have more than four accrued NFL seasons. For Jacksonville, the bigger issue is that the talent drain may not be finished yet, since players with upside and role-player utility can still draw attention before the dust settles on roster cuts. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Just Raised A Bigger Tight End Question Than Fans Expected
Patrick Herberts brief run in Jacksonville ended this week when the tight end signed with the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad after being waived by the Jaguars. Herbert, an undrafted rookie in 2025, spent last season on the Jaguars practice squad and had earned a reserve/future contract with the team in January, making him part of the offseason mix heading into camp.
Herberts departure leaves a little more uncertainty around the back end of Jacksonvilles tight end room, where every practice rep tends to matter as teams sort out depth and roles. He had two catches for 12 yards in the preseason before moving on, and now the Jaguars will have to keep sorting through the position without a young player who had been around the building and knew the system. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars GM Just Clarified The Logic Behind Key Roster Decisions
James Gladstone spent a good part of Sept. 1 laying out the thinking behind a busy stretch of Jaguars roster management, using a news conference to walk through the trade for quarterback Quinn Ewers, the clubs choices along the defensive line and at linebacker, and the decision to bring Nick Mullens onto the practice squad. He also touched on ongoing contract discussions with Parker Washington, while making it clear the front office has been encouraged by what it has seen from the young receivers and the undrafted edge rushers who forced their way onto the roster.
For Jacksonville, the timing matters as much as the transactions. The team is moving into its regular-season routine with the 2026 opener on the horizon, and Gladstones comments offered a glimpse into how the Jaguars are trying to balance immediate depth with longer-term roster building. What he did not completely close the door on, though, was how those receiver talks and other late personnel choices might still shape the opening stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]