Jahlani Tavai didn’t arrive in Jacksonville on a normal timeline.
The veteran linebacker, unsigned when NFL training camp opened for him for the first time since he entered the league in 2019, was back home in Hawaii keeping himself ready when the Jaguars came calling earlier this month. What followed was a travel grind that stretched longer than 24 hours because of weather delays: Honolulu to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to New York-LaGuardia, then New York-Kennedy to Jacksonville.
“It was actually a hectic one,” he told me after a practice earlier this week.
Once he finally got there, Tavai wasted no time. He signed with the Jaguars on Aug. 6 and immediately stepped into the mix at linebacker, using his 112 games of regular season/playoff experience to carve out a role in camp.
In Jacksonville’s 24-20 win over the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 15, he played 52 snaps, second-most on the defense behind cornerback Jabbar Muhammad’s 61, and finished with six tackles, tying Muhammad for the team high. He also handled 12 special teams snaps.
“It was a good opportunity to have fun and play football,” said Tavai, who turns 30 on Sept. 28. “I was on the couch for a bit and 52 reps means 52 opportunities to make the team.”
That opportunity looks even better now because of the Jaguars’ injury situation at linebacker. Projected backup middle linebacker Jack Kiser has not practiced since July 29 because of a right knee issue, and rookie backup Parker Hughes is out for the season with a right lower body injury. Tavai, meanwhile, has already taken on a heavy practice load and has given the staff exactly what they were looking for.
“He’s a great dude,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said earlier this week. “He’s a communicator.
He’s a team guy. He’s a four-core special teams guy.
He’s had to come in and take a lot of reps in a hurry and there’s no flinch to him. A pro’s pro who’s been in some these situations before and we’re hopeful he’s going to be able to continue to help us.”
Tavai’s path to Jacksonville has been a long one. He was a second-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2019, released after the 2021 preseason, and then landed in New England, where he started 44 games combined from 2022 through 2024. Last season he started seven games but played only 228 defensive snaps, plus 59 more in four playoff games, before being cut on March 11.
For Tavai, the Jaguars offered the right chance at the right time.
“(The Jaguars) showed a lot of love when they called and I was ready to find a new home,” Tavai said. “I’ve got a good (linebacker) room from (linebackers) Coach Tem (Lukabu) to ‘Fo’ (Foye Oluokun) to ‘V’ (Ventrell Miller) and all of them have helped me a lot in understanding the scheme.”
The Jaguars also made another roster move this week, trading a 2027 sixth-round draft pick to the Giants on Aug. 19 for guard Daniel Faalele. That deal was the 24th training camp trade in franchise history and the fourth for general manager James Gladstone. New York’s depth chart had two first-round picks, starter Francis Mauigoa and backup Evan Neal, listed at right guard, which made Faalele available.
Faalele has already made history in Jacksonville. At 380 pounds, he is the heaviest player in franchise history, passing offensive tackle Richard Collier, who weighed 358 pounds in 2006-07, and guard Derrick Fletcher, who was listed at 350 pounds in 2005.
Coen also picked up a useful view from the other side of the ball in the preseason game against New Orleans. Since he is the offensive play-caller in the regular season, he only gets occasional glimpses of the defensive communication. Against the Saints, he had the chance to listen in more closely.
“(Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile) and I had some good conversations about what to play in some situations and certain down-and-distances,” Coen said. “(The coaches) were calm and cool.
There were no real hiccups with the substitutions. … The operations of the game, I thought it went very smooth.”
One more note from earlier this week: Marc Edwards, who caught nine passes for 62 yards in three playoff games for the 2001 New England Patriots and had two catches for seven yards in the Patriots’ upset Super Bowl win over the Los Angeles Rams, said he doesn’t wear his ring out very often.
“I don’t wear it out very often,” Marc said. “A lot of times, what I do is I’ll keep it in my pocket if I’m out at a game or Jaguars event or a Notre Dame event and when people want to see it, I’ll show it to them.”
And yes, the rings have changed.
“Oh my, gosh, yes,” Marc said. “The ring I have is literally half the size of the last one the Patriots won (in 2018).
And my ring is enormous. I walk into a restaurant wearing it and it’s an attention-grabber.”
In Other News...
Cam Little Is Suddenly Part Of A Wild New NFL Debate
Harrison Butkers 69-yard bomb in a 2026 preseason game added a fresh wrinkle to a very specific NFL conversation, even if it will not show up in the record book. Preseason kicks always come with an asterisk, but the moment still put a spotlight on the rarefied air Cam Little already occupies for Jacksonville, after drilling the longest official regular-season field goal in league history at 68 yards in 2025.
Littles mark now sits in an odd little pocket of the sport, because Butkers kick was longer but unofficial, and the distinction matters in a game where the line between exhibition and history is everything. Butker has been in Kansas City since 2017 and remains one of the most accurate kickers the league has ever seen, which only adds to the curiosity around where this distance debate could go next for a Jaguars team that already knows its kicker belongs in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Hunter Gave Jaguars Fans A Wild Off Field Moment
Travis Hunter spent part of a recent police ride-along with Sheriff T.K. Waters getting a firsthand look at work far removed from the football field, as officers carried out a traffic stop that led to the recovery of a large quantity of illegal drugs. The scene offered a jarring reminder of what law enforcement deals with every day, and it also gave the Jaguars player a platform to speak directly to young viewers about avoiding drugs and making better choices.
Hunters off-field involvement has become part of the bigger picture around him as he heads toward his second NFL season, with the Jaguars continuing to see him as more than just a player preparing for Sundays. A ride-along like this does not come with box-score impact, but it does underline the kind of community presence he is building while staying visible in Jacksonville for reasons beyond football. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Loss Put A Few Surprise Roster Names In Focus
The Jaguars home preseason loss to the Panthers did not keep a few bubble players from making a case for themselves, and that is usually the part of August that matters most. Undrafted rookie Trebor Pena was among the most noticeable names on the field, leading Jacksonville in receptions and receiving yards while also finding the end zone, a useful reminder that the evaluation process is far from over even when the scoreboard goes the wrong way.
Jabbar Muhammad, listed on the second string, added six tackles in a busy showing on defense, while Ameer Abdullah topped the team in rushing yards and Michael Wortham was perfect when the ball came his way. Cam Little also handled his business, hitting all three of his field-goal tries, giving the Jaguars a few encouraging individual moments to sort through as they continue trimming the roster and deciding who is worth a closer look. [Read more 🡒]