By the time Sunday dinner rolls around, NFL rosters will have been chopped down from nearly 5,000 players to 1,696, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will be right in the middle of that purge. Every team has to make the same brutal set of decisions, and the Jags’ initial 53-man roster is starting to take shape as the cuts come in. The players who don’t survive the trim will be looking at practice squad invitations if they’re among the preferred options.
Jacksonville’s depth chart is about to get a fresh coat of paint, and general manager James Gladstone has already made the point that the team has to be flexible through it all. “You’re always going to stay agile,” Gladstone said earlier this offseason.
There’s also the bigger-picture backdrop, at least according to FanDuel Sportsbook: the Jaguars are listed at +2700 to win Super Bowl LXI and sit at -106 to make the playoffs. That leaves them in a virtual coin flip territory for a postseason berth, even if the respect level around the team still feels a little thin.
One of the names to watch in the cutdown process is second-year defensive back Jabbar Muhammad. Jacksonville signed the former Oregon Duck as an undrafted free agent, then released him in the final wave of last year’s roster cuts. He wound up on the practice squad and later landed a reserve/future contract after the season.
Muhammad made a strong impression this offseason. Liam Coen singled him out as one of the team’s most improved players, and that growth showed up from OTAs through training camp, where he kept stacking good practices.
The preseason, though, was a different story, and that makes his case an interesting one. Did the spring and summer work do enough to earn him a place on the 53-man roster, or will Jacksonville try to sneak him back onto the practice squad for another year?
In Other News...
Travis Hunter's Jaguars Role Is Raising One Huge Question
During joint practices with the Buccaneers, Travis Hunter spent most of his time on defense, with only a handful of wide receiver snaps showing up in 7-on-7 work. It was another reminder of how carefully the Jaguars are managing a player they still plan to deploy as a two-way threat, even if the early practice script has leaned more heavily toward one side of the ball.
Hunters role is already becoming one of the more interesting questions hanging over Jacksonvilles preseason build. The Jaguars have made clear they want him on both offense and defense, but the recent practice pattern points to a heavier defensive load in the near term, leaving his offensive usage still to be determined as the games start to matter more. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Preseason Finale Carries Real Stakes For Players Fighting To Survive
The preseason is winding down, and for a lot of Jaguars players, the final game is less about the scoreboard than survival. Jacksonville will meet Tampa Bay in Week 3 on Aug. 28 at EverBank Stadium, giving fringe roster hopefuls one last chance to make a case for a spot on the 53-man roster or at least earn an invitation back on the practice squad.
Among the players worth watching are undrafted rookies Joey Aguilar and Trebor Pea, both of whom have already turned enough heads to merit a closer look in the finale. Head coach Liam Coen said Aguilar had a good showing in the previous preseason game, which only adds to the intrigue as Jacksonville sorts through the final decisions before the regular season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fringe Players Have One Last Shot To Force Tough Decisions
The Jaguars get one more preseason chance to sort through a roster that still has a few real questions attached to it, as Tampa Bay comes to EverBank Stadium with kickoff serving as another checkpoint for players trying to make a late impression. It is the kind of August game that matters less for the scoreboard than for the names on the field, especially with the cutdown date looming and a regular-season opener not far behind.
For Jacksonville, the intrigue is concentrated in the spots where jobs still feel open, with competition brewing at running back, right tackle and defensive tackle. The Buccaneers have the edge on paper, but the Jaguars are more focused on the internal math, and this meeting offers one last extended look before the front office has to start turning preseason evaluation into hard decisions. [Read more 🡒]