Training camp is still about a month away for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the quarterback picture already has one clear shape and one real question mark.
Nick Mullens is expected to stay in the backup role behind Trevor Lawrence after an uneven spring, and his experience in that job gives the Jaguars a solid option. The more open fight sits behind him: QB3 is up for grabs between Carter Bradley and Joey Aguilar.
That battle matters because last season’s third quarterback wasn’t on the 53-man roster at all. He was on the Jaguars’ practice squad, and this year the team will have to decide who fills that spot if it’s used the same way again.
Offseason work didn’t reveal much separation between Bradley and Aguilar. The real test now comes in camp and the preseason, when both players will have a chance to show whether they can handle the full weight of the job.
And that job is bigger than just being next in line. The third quarterback can also run the scout team offense and help get the Jaguars’ starting defense ready for Sundays. Bradley handled that assignment well last season, which gives him a meaningful edge.
For now, Bradley looks like the favorite over Aguilar. The deciding factor is experience - not just at the NFL level, but also in Liam Coen’s system, where the learning curve can be steep.
Aguilar still has a path, though. If his upside clearly jumps out, he can make this a real race. For these back-end roster spots, teams are often chasing potential as much as polish.
In Other News...
Jaguars Suddenly Have A Linebacker Battle Fans Thought Was Settled
The offseason has already nudged a few assumed depth-chart answers back into the conversation, and linebacker is suddenly one of them. For Jacksonville, the spot next to Foye Oluokun looked like it had a clear favorite heading into camp, with Ventrell Miller positioned to keep building on his role while the coaching staff continued sorting out the rest of the defense.
What makes it interesting is how often the Jaguars have talked about competition under Liam Coen, and that now appears to include the linebacker room as much as anywhere else. A young challenger has earned more chances in recent work and shown enough to keep the job from feeling locked up, which means this is shaping up as one of those camp battles that can change the tone of the entire defense before the preseason even really gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Camp Could Finally Settle Their Most Frustrating Backfield Debate
Training camp is about to give the Jaguars something they have not had much clarity on in the backfield: a real chance to sort out who should lead the way. Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez and LeQuint Allen are lined up for a competition that has been waiting for the pads to come on, and the extra reps during the offseason have already helped shape the early pecking order.
Tuten has taken advantage of the opening to get a longer look, while Allen gives Jacksonville a different kind of option if the staff wants more versatility in the passing game. Even if one runner emerges as the front-runner entering the season, the more likely outcome is a shared workload that keeps all three involved, which means this may be less about finding one answer than about deciding how the Jaguars want the pieces to fit. [Read more 🡒]