ESPN’s latest look at projected starting lineups around the league included a Jaguars name that doesn’t usually get the spotlight: safety Caleb Ransaw.
Aaron Schatz tabbed Ransaw as Jacksonville’s nonstarter to know for the 2026 season, pointing to the traits that make him an intriguing piece in the secondary.
"He's fast (4.33 in the 40) and explosive with good tackling skills," Schatz wrote. "The Jaguars have moved him to safety, although he could also play nickel if necessary."
Ransaw never got a chance to show any of that as a rookie. A foot injury last training camp shut him down for the entire season, keeping him off the field before he could make his debut.
Even so, Liam Coen said Ransaw used the lost year to get comfortable with the playbook and learn the details of the defense. Coen also said this offseason and training camp will be a big one for Ransaw if he’s going to turn that knowledge into production on the field.
The Jaguars are expected to open with Eric Murray and Antonio Johnson at safety, but Ransaw still has a path to playing time in Anthony Campanile’s defense. That scheme often uses three safeties, and Ransaw’s ability to handle deep safety duties could give Campanile more freedom to move Johnson around.
Ransaw’s college tape gives the Jaguars reason to be interested, too. He was sticky in coverage and showed he could tackle cleanly, the kind of profile that can earn a role even before the stat sheet catches up.
In Other News...
Jaguars Send 3 Pass Rushers To Sack Summit With NFL Elite
The Jaguars are sending three of their top pass rushers to the 2024 Sack Summit from July 9-11, a gathering for NFL edge defenders hosted by Maxx Crosby, Cameron Jordan and Von Miller. Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker and Arik Armstead will be among the players in the room, giving Jacksonville a chance to keep its front-line pressure group around some of the leagues most established names while the offseason still has room to shape their next step.
For Hines-Allen, it is another marker of a season in which he was among the leagues most productive pressure players. Walker arrives with the momentum of a recent extension that underscored how strongly the Jaguars still believe in his trajectory, while Armstead enters with a different kind of motivation after a hand injury affected his late-season production. The summit does not answer every question about what Jacksonvilles pass rush will become, but it does put three important pieces of it in the same place at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Veteran Is Forcing A Tough Backfield Decision In Camp
Ameer Abdullah has spent long enough in the league to know how camp battles work, and he is leaning on that experience in Jacksonville. Entering his 12th NFL season, the veteran running back is giving the Jaguars something every training camp needs: a steady hand in a crowded room, plus the kind of versatility that can help in more than one phase of the game. Coaches and teammates have taken notice of the way he works, especially as he helps guide a young backfield.
What makes Abdullah interesting is that his value is not limited to carries. He can help as a pass catcher and on special teams, which gives him a path to stick even as the Jaguars sort through their backfield mix. For a team that has to balance depth, roles and weekly game-day value, Abdullahs case is the kind that can make a late-summer decision tougher than it first looked. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Still Have One Huge Arik Armstead Question Up Front
Arik Armstead is still on the Jaguars roster as training camp opens, and for now that keeps one of the bigger questions up front from turning into an immediate roster move. The veteran defensive tackle is heading into the final year of his deal with a $19.385 million cap hit, and none of that money is guaranteed, which is why his status drew so much attention throughout the offseason.
Jacksonville weighed its options, but Armsteads presence on the defensive line still matters to a group that needs stability in the trenches. He also played through a hand injury late last season, and his production tailed off after a strong start, so the Jaguars are left balancing cost, health and value as they head deeper into camp with the decision still hanging over the front of the defense. [Read more 🡒]