The Jaguars have their 53-man roster and practice squad in place, but the picture in Jacksonville still isn’t fully settled. A few spots look clean. A few others look one snap away from getting messy.
Linebacker jumps out first. That was already a thin area after Devin Lloyd’s free agency departure, and it never really got the kind of offseason reinforcement that changes the conversation.
Jacksonville’s only addition there was seventh-round rookie Parker Hughes, and he has already been placed on season-ending injured reserve. That leaves the Jaguars with just five linebackers, and the only ones with real starting experience are Foyesade Oluokun, Dennis Gardeck, and backup linebacker Jahlani Tavai.
The Jaguars like younger players Ventrell Miller and Branson Combs, but this is still the kind of group that looks vulnerable if even one injury hits.
That approach isn’t exactly foreign to this front office, either. The lack of heavy investment and the thin depth at linebacker have been part of the Los Angeles Rams’ recent blueprint, and Jaguars general manager James Gladstone appears to be borrowing from that playbook.
There is better news elsewhere, especially with running back LeQuint Allen Jr. and offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen. Neither player is carrying an injury designation heading into Week 0, which at least suggests Jacksonville expects both back sooner rather than later. Even so, the timing is still unclear.
Van Lanen hasn’t taken part in team drills since coming off the Active/PUP list a few weeks ago, though he has worked in individual drills. He looks like the obvious starter at right tackle when he’s ready, but Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said he wants to see Van Lanen get through practice in Week 1 before deciding whether he’ll be in the starting lineup against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 13.
Allen’s situation matters just as much for the offense. He’s missed the last few weeks of camp with a soft tissue injury, and his role as the Jaguars’ passing-down back makes him a meaningful piece of the puzzle. The good news for Jacksonville is that he was not placed on injured reserve with a designation to return, which is a positive sign in itself.
The cuts of 2025 draft picks Jack Kiser and Jalen McLeod also sparked a round of conversation about how this regime should be judged in the draft. But the simplest read is the most obvious one: both players were derailed by injuries.
Kiser got hurt on the first day of camp and never made it back, while McLeod missed his entire rookie season and parts of this year’s camp. That raises the question of how much weight to give Day 3 picks with limited availability, but it doesn’t automatically mean the Jaguars misfired.
Then there are the spots where the roster still feels unfinished. The No. 4 tight end job and the No. 5 cornerback role stand out as the clearest areas where Jacksonville could upgrade. Quintin Morris and Christian Braswell look like the No. 52 and No. 53 players on the roster, and the Jaguars could give their depth chart a real boost by finding better options there.
Jabbar Muhammad remains on the practice squad and can be elevated if needed, but there isn’t a fifth tight end on the roster now that Patrick Herbert is with his brother in Los Angeles. If Jacksonville adds depth during the season, those two positions look like the likeliest places to do it, probably with outside help.
In Other News...
Jaguars Just Opened The Door For A Bigger Move Than Fans Expected
The Jaguars created a little more breathing room in their payroll by restructuring Josh Hines-Allens contract, converting $5.7 million of his 2026 base salary into a signing bonus and opening up $4.56 million in cap space for this season. It is the kind of move teams often make when they want to stay nimble, and for Jacksonville it comes with a clear purpose: give the front office more room to maneuver as the year unfolds.
General manager James Gladstone said the adjustment was designed to provide financial flexibility for possible roster additions or extensions down the line. Jacksonvilles cap space now sits at $14.22 million, a healthier position than earlier in the offseason, and it leaves the door open for something bigger if the right opportunity surfaces. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fans Are About To Get An Unusual NFL Season Start
The NFL is shifting its 2026 regular-season start to Wednesday, Sept. 9, an unusual change prompted by a scheduling conflict with the leagues first regular-season game in Australia, which will air in the U.S. the following day. For Jacksonville fans used to the familiar Thursday-night launch, it means the new season will arrive a little earlier in the week than normal, with Seattle hosting New England in the opener.
It also keeps the football calendar moving in a way that should feel familiar enough for fans around here, even as the timing changes. College football already got underway on Saturday, Aug. 29, with Florida State opening its season, and Florida is set to play Sept. 5, so the stretch from late summer into early September is already packed before the NFL even gets its first whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Suddenly Changed Course Behind Trevor Lawrence For One Big Reason
The Jaguars made a quick pivot behind Trevor Lawrence ahead of cutdown day, sending a 2028 sixth-round pick to Miami for quarterback Quinn Ewers. The move gives Jacksonville a new No. 2 quarterback and reshapes the depth chart at a spot the team wanted to stabilize before the roster deadline, with Nick Mullens no longer on the active roster after being released.
James Gladstone praised Mullens for the way he handled the situation, noting his professionalism and value to the team as Jacksonville kept him around on the practice squad. For the Jaguars, the transaction was less about the price tag than the protection it provides if Lawrence ever needs help, and it leaves one of the more interesting backup-spot decisions of the summer in a new place. [Read more 🡒]