With training camp getting closer, the Jaguars’ linebacker room already looks like one of the more crowded spots on the roster.
Jacksonville is in the middle of its usual pre-camp 53-man roster exercise, but this year the breakdown is coming one position group at a time. At linebacker, the picture is starting to sharpen around a core five, with one more spot likely up for grabs if the Jaguars decide to carry six again.
The names on the roster are Foye Oluokun, Dennis Gardeck, Ventrell Miller, Branson Combs, Jack Kiser, Jalen McCleod, Parker Hughes, and Yasir Abdullah.
The first five feel like the safest bets. Oluokun and Gardeck are two of the starters in the Jaguars’ base 4-3 look, while Miller and Combs are battling for the third role. Kiser also looks positioned to stick as Oluokun’s backup, and he was a core special teams contributor as a rookie in 2025.
That leaves the real squeeze at the bottom of the group. If those five are locked in, Jacksonville already has the same number of linebackers many teams keep on the initial 53.
The Jaguars carried six linebackers on their initial roster last year, so doing it again would not be a surprise. Even then, there’s still a fight between McCleod, Hughes, and Abdullah for what could be one final opening.
For now, the early projection gives the Jaguars six linebackers: Foye Oluokun, Dennis Gardeck, Ventrell Miller, Branson Combs, Jack Kiser, and Jalen McCleod.
McCleod gets the nod in this projection because he can also function as a pass rusher and looks like the clearest backup for Gardeck. He was also described as a “real riser” during offseason programs.
Special teams could end up helping settle the rest of it. With Kiser, Combs, Gardeck, and others all bringing that value, Jacksonville may have enough flexibility to move on from Hughes and Abdullah.
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