Jacksonville Jaguars: Offensive candidates for the final 53-man roster

Who makes the Jaguars 53-man roster on the offensive side of the ball? There could be a few surprises.

The final audition for the Jaguars 2019 team is on Thursday, August 29 at 7:00 PM against the Atlanta Falcons from TIAA Bank Field. Who will make the final roster?

The Jaguars 2019 preseason is virtually finished. In the final game against the Atlanta Falcons expect the starters to be back on the bench and the bottom of the roster to get most of the snaps. However, for diehard football fans, there are a few questions left to be answered.

Several back-up positions are there for the taking and there is still a chance for free agents and rookies to make the roster.

Let’s look at the Jaguars offense because they were our Achilles heel last season. The quarterback and running back positions appear to be decided.  The Jaguars will go with Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew as his backup. Alex McGough could be placed on the practice squad.

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The running backs may have a minor change if a good player is cut from another team. For now, it looks like Leonard Fournette will be the featured back and Alfred Blue, Ryquell Armstead, and Thomas Rawls will be the back-ups.  Fournette looked like the 2017 Fournette against Miami last week.

The other offensive positions have some battles left for Game 4. The receivers that are certain to make the team are Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook, Chris Conley, and DJ Chark.  C.J. Board is the leader among the remaining receivers with Keelan Cole, Tre McBride, and Terrelle Pryor fighting for the last spot.

"“Terrelle Pryor and Keelan Cole haven’t shown much this preseason.  They have combined for just three catches and Cole hasn’t looked good returning punts,” Ryan Day of Big Cat Country writes."

Board led all receivers against Miami with four receptions for 56 yards.

The tight end position will have three or four players make the team. The almost sure bets are Geoff Swaim, Josh Oliver, and James O’Shaughnessy. None of the other candidates have done much so far. If another tight end is needed the waiver wires could be the answer.

The Jaguars offensive line has many candidates and several positions up for grabs. The starting line has many players back from injury and solid back-ups are needed.  The starters are Brandon Linder at center, Andrew Norwell at left guard and Cam Robinson at left tackle.

The previous starter A.J. Cann is being pushed by second-year player Will Richardson at right guard and right tackle is a battle between rookie Jawaan Taylor and Cedric Ogbuehi.

"As Brian Sexton of Jaguars.com wrote, “Rookie Jawaan Taylor looked like he belonged with a strong punch and better feet than he had been given credit for in college. I think he might be the most talented lineman of the bunch, just the least experienced. “"

Sexton added that Richardson looked lost with the first team. He is like a rookie since he spent last season on injured reserve. Other linemen who may make the team are Tyler Shatley and Josh Wells.

The Jaguars may keep 53 players on the active roster and an additional 10 players on the practice squad.  Other teams can’t touch our 53 man roster but can sign men from the Jaguars practice squad to their active roster. The good news is that we can do this as well. This precludes hiding good players on the practice squad.

There is still one more preseason game and one more impression to be made in the hope of making the team.