JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- When the Jaguars put together their 53-man roster, two names stood out for the way they earned their way in: running back Ameer Abdullah and linebacker Jahlani Tavai.
Both were long shots when they arrived. Abdullah signed with Jacksonville this spring, while Tavai joined after training camp had already started.
Neither looked like a lock to survive roster cuts. Both turned strong camps and preseasons into spots on a team built to win entering 2026.
Head coach Liam Coen pointed to the way each player carried himself as a big reason they stuck.
“I think it's typically challenging to make those teams in some of those instances. And credit those guys; they're the right type of ones, right? Like, mentally, pros, do it the right way," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said this week.
"Ameer Abdullah is one of the first guys in our building every single day. The way that he prepares his body, the way that he prepares for practice.
Jahlani [Tavai], the way that he goes about his business, he's a great teammate. Everybody loves him.
He does all the little things the right way. Will help us on special teams as well.
Their value goes beyond simply filling out the back end of the roster. Abdullah is expected to be active at least to open the season, with a role in the passing game out of the backfield while LeQuint Allen Jr. works back from a soft tissue injury.
Tavai is one of only five linebackers on the roster and could be needed quickly if injuries force the issue. He also brings special teams value, which likely helped push him onto the team.
"It's rare, but I think that when you find the right type of guys and you start there, that's always going to help the cause, right?" Coen said.
"Because they've seen a lot of ball, have played a lot of ball. There's a lot that they can pour into some of the other guys, but it helps them in their process.
And for us, all of them have gotten onboarded fairly quickly. And so, been really appreciative of getting those guys on.”
Abdullah, in particular, made a real impression over the summer. He stacked up strong practices with both the first- and second-team offenses, then turned heads in the second week of the preseason against the Carolina Panthers. What started as a low-profile signing became much harder to overlook as camp went on.
General manager James Gladstone said Abdullah’s routine showed up immediately once the staff saw it up close.
"His daily routine, his mode of operation. When you get a chance to see it firsthand, it's no surprise why he's still in the league a dozen years later. He carries that routine out into his performance each and every day in practice," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said this week.
"We gave him a ton of work against New Orleans in the joint; didn't play him in the preseason game just being mindful of where he’s at in his career. He comes out in the next against Carolina and just looks like he's operating it at a little different pace than a lot of the other guys that are playing against him.
So, I think he's still got plenty left in the tank, but his knowledge base is certainly one that's good for a relatively inexperienced and young running back room that's surrounding him. So I think he's certainly played his part up to this point and look forward to seeing how that unfolds over the course of the regular season.
In Other News...
Jaguars Suddenly Changed Course Behind Trevor Lawrence For One Big Reason
Ahead of cutdown day, the Jaguars made a late change behind Trevor Lawrence by acquiring quarterback Quinn Ewers from the Dolphins for a 2028 sixth-round pick. The move gives Jacksonville a new backup option after Nick Mullens was released from the active roster, then brought back on the practice squad, while general manager James Gladstone praised Mullens for the professionalism and value he brought to the team.
Ewers now steps into a role that is often easy to overlook until it suddenly matters, especially for a team trying to keep its quarterback room steady as the season approaches. The Jaguars clearly wanted a different kind of insurance behind Lawrence, and the swap leaves one question hanging around the depth chart as Jacksonville settles in for the next phase of roster decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Just Opened The Door For A Bigger Move Than Fans Expected
The Jaguars have quietly created more room to maneuver by restructuring Josh Hines-Allens contract, converting $5.7 million of his 2026 base salary into a signing bonus. The move opens up $4.56 million in cap space for this season and lifts Jacksonvilles total room to $14.22 million, giving the front office more breathing room than it had earlier in the offseason.
General manager James Gladstone said the adjustment was made to keep financial flexibility available for roster moves or extensions as the season unfolds. For a team still shaping its plans, that kind of cap space can matter in a hurry, especially if Jacksonville decides it needs to act quickly once the market starts to move. [Read more 🡒]
Liam Coen Left Jaguars Fans With Two Big Week 1 Questions
Liam Coen spent the aftermath of roster cutdown day talking through the Jaguars latest personnel decisions, and the conversation kept circling back to the same place: what this team wants to be on offense and how it plans to support that vision. Coen singled out the arm talent of Trevor Ewers, explained why keeping Nick Mullens on the practice squad matters, and pointed to undrafted pass rusher Bryan Thomas Jr. as one of the preseason standouts who earned attention through his play.
The bigger takeaway is that Jacksonville still sounds invested in a more aggressive passing identity, especially when it comes to pushing the ball downfield with confidence. Coen also addressed player availability and the ways the practice squad can be strengthened, which makes the roster picture feel active rather than settled. For Jaguars fans, the roster is trimmed and the season is here, but the questions around how the offense opens up and who helps make that possible are still hanging in the air. [Read more 🡒]