Dec 30, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson (28) is tackled by Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Daryl Smith (52) during the second half at LP Field. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

David Caldwell and the new front office have wasted no time instilling their message for the team heading into the season – young players competing for rosters spots. This means no overpaid veterans who are “obligated” to start because of their dent in the salary cap. This meant several starters from last year’s roster were let go or went unsigned.

• Derek Cox
• Daryl Smith
• Terrance Knighton
• Rashean Mathis
• Dawan Landry
• Laurent Robinson
• Greg Jones

All were key starters on the 2012 roster and were either headed towards pricey contracts or were already chained to lead contracts. With so much turnover in the roster already, one would think most of the major moves have already been made.

Well I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw a few more veterans on the chopping block as we move towards the beginning of the season, especially if it looks like some of the young talent has earned more playing time. Some of potential victims are as follows.

Paul Posluszny

While some would point to Posluszny’s statistics, particularly tackles, and argue that he’s lived up to his contract, the reality is his impact on the defense can be found for a much more reasonable price. While he filled the stat sheet with 139 total tackles, he only forced 5 turnovers and notched 2 sacks all season. Someone at his price tag ( $15 million guaranteed total) should be a playmaker, not just a sure tackler. It’s unlikely, but Posluszny could be deemed expendable before the season begins.

Maurice Jones-Drew

I recently wrote about the possibility of Jones-Drew’s departure this season, and that it would have nothing to do with his recent legal issues. MJD is a 28 year old running back coming off of a major foot injury. Disregarding his injury, he’s shown some decline over the last two years and clearly is less explosive and less of a threat. The fact that there is no real guaranteed contributor behind him is one of the main factors keeping MJD’s roster spot safe.

Brad Meester

It may seem odd to cut Brad Meester after signing him to a one year deal this offseason, but that’s the point of a risk-free one year deal. If a young player steps up and shows to be a capable enough player, he’ll get the call. Caldwell and Gus Bradley have already made it clear that whoever wins the open competition at a position will start. That may not be Brad Meester.

- Daniel Lago

Yell at me on Twitter @dlago89

As the draft has been analyzed here at Black and Teal and on several other websites, the Jaguars’ needs have become fairly obvious with wide receiver and defensive end emerging as the most glaring holes. But the draft isn’t just about filling needs – it’s also about providing depth, especially in the later rounds. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Jaguar’s current roster and see where we could use an immediate upgrade as either a starter or a back-up.

*Note that Jaguars.com does not have a roster up right now, so this is non-official. The age is also listed next to the player and the projected starters are italicized.

Of the Jaguars’ 22 offensive/defensive starters, only 4 are 30+ years old. In fact, the Jaguars only have 5 players – Greg Jones, Brad Meester, Daryl Smith, Rashean Mathis, and Aaron Kampman – who are 30 or older. The Jaguars have a relatively young roster, and the core of the team is still mostly developing.

Except for the positions we mentioned earlier (WR and DE), everyone should be fairly comfortable with who is starting. Ideally, DE and WR will be addressed somewhere in the draft so that we have a rookie WR starting opposite Laurent Robinson and a rookie DE starting opposite Jeremy Mincey.

Austen Lane is a great follow on twitter, but he needs to be healthy and more consistent to earn a starting role. Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE

Austen Lane is a great follow on twitter, but he needs to be healthy and more consistent to earn a starting role.

A deeper look at the roster will show that I took some liberty at assigning the defensive tackle spot. I assumed the worst-case scenario for Knighton in that he won’t be healthy enough to start at the beginning of the year because of his freak-injury. Couple this with D’Anthony ‘yet to see the field’ Smith and the defensive tackle spot suddenly becomes an area of need and lacking in depth.

Although injuries ravaged the Jaguars’ roster for most of 2011, it did give some younger players the chance to prove they are serviceable back-ups. Players like Morgan Trent, Colin Cloherty, and Cameron Bradfield stepped into the line-up and were at the very least respectable.

In a perfect world, the Jaguars’ draft would end up in a way where three key positions of need – WR, DE, and DT – are addressed in the early rounds while the later rounds in Day 3 are spent on depth and “Jars on the Shelf”. But unfortunately as Jaguar fans know, we don’t live in a perfect world and we know that you can’t reach for players at certain positions. You never know who could fall in your lap in rounds 1, 2, or 3 and if you see a player who can contribute in a significant way, even if he may not start immediately, you need to take him.

Overall, Jaguar fans should be pretty excited about the upcoming season. The roster as it’s currently constructed is very young and on the upswing and the draft will add even more youth and potential.

-Daniel Lago