Jacksonville Jaguars Make Appearance on ESPN’s Ultimate 53-Man Roster

The 2014 NFL regular season is almost upon us, which means we’re nearing the end of the “prop” article season. Fortunately for us, ESPN’s Mark Dominik managed to squeeze in one more piece before the real football starts. As a former general manager, Dominik has tasked himself with assembling an ultimate 53-man NFL roster given the cap constraints on current teams. In addition to staying under the cap, Dominik also included the restriction of no rookies. Somewhat surprisingly, he found room for 3 Jacksonville Jaguars on the roster.

The first was a player expected to make a big leap in 2014, second year safety Johnathan Cyprien.

"Johnathan Cyprien, Jacksonville Jaguars ($1,242,978): Cyprien had a remarkable rookie season, and I think he will continue to improve in Gus Bradley’s defense. He is a thick, strong player who is very tough and one of the better tackling safeties in the league. In addition, he’s a beast on special teams."

The next 2 guys he chose from Jacksonville almost seem like a backhanded compliment – punter Bryan Anger and long snapper Carson Tinker.

"Bryan Anger, Jacksonville Jaguars ($770,523): The Jaguars required Anger to punt a lot last season, but he was still able to put up excellent numbers in both his net and per-punt averages. He is a value play at this point, but I think in time Jacksonville will sign him long-term. Anger is a great young person and player.Carson Tinker, Jacksonville Jaguars ($495,833): For this position, I wanted a player I could trust, but I had to find a way to save money for the 53-man roster. Tinker is a very consistent performer who is on a good contract and is consistent in both his long and short snaps. Plus, he’s athletic enough to make some tackles along the way."

I’m not really sure how to feel about Dominik choosing Anger and Tinker, as he basically could have picked any league-minimum punter and long snapper and been fine, but hey why not? Go Jaguars right?

– Daniel Lago