Now that the preseason is in the books for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pro Football Focus has a clear read on which players made the strongest case and which ones finished on the wrong end of the grading scale.
PFF’s numbers are useful for sorting out performance, though they’re still just one piece of the evaluation puzzle. For reference, the grading bands break down like this: 90.0 and above is elite, 80-89.9 is high quality, 70-79.9 is good, 60-69.9 is above average, 50-59.9 is average, 40-49.9 is below average, and 39.9 or less is poor.
On offense, the top three grades belonged to Michael Wortham, Chander Brayboy and Emmanuel Pregnon. Wortham led the group with a 76.1, Brayboy followed at 75.2, and Pregnon checked in at 74.0.
Wortham and Brayboy both made the most of their chances as receivers. Wortham finished with 7 catches on 8 targets for 97 yards, while Brayboy hauled in 4 of 5 for 42 yards. Their work didn’t stop there, either - both also earned strong marks as run-blockers, which matters in Liam Coen’s offense.
Pregnon’s preseason momentum pointed toward a possible Week 1 starting role at left guard, and that push started showing up in the games. He played in only one contest, but he allowed just one pressure across 18 pass-blocking snaps. He also posted a 70.0 run-blocking grade.
The defense had its own standout trio. Neville Burney, Ray Silmon-Craig and Myles Striggow finished with the Jaguars’ top three defensive grades.
Burney was active across the board, putting up three quarterback pressures and five run stops. He also shut down his coverage responsibilities, not allowing a catch on two targets and adding a pass breakup.
Silmon-Craig’s 82.3 coverage grade helped lift his overall number. He gave up two catches on four targets for just 15 yards and also forced a pass breakup.
Striggow made his impact in limited work. He recorded a sack, added three tackles against the run and posted a 67.6 run-defense grade while playing just 36 total snaps.
At the other end of the list, the three lowest overall grades on the roster belonged to Keivie Rose, Yasir Abdullah and TJ Bollers.
Rose finished with a 30.1. Over 40 pass-rush snaps, he did not record a pressure, and he also missed one of his four tackle attempts. His run-defense grade landed at 29.2.
Abdullah’s preseason line was mixed. He had some success as a blitzer, but his tackling and coverage work dragged him down. He missed two of five tackle attempts and allowed three catches on four targets for 35 yards without any ball production.
Bollers flashed in the pass rush, recording three pressures and being in on two sacks, but his 30.0 run-defense grade heavily damaged his overall mark.
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 🡒]