Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 biggest training-camp wild cards

Sometimes you need to hit rock bottom to make changes to the way you do things. If the Jacksonville Jaguars had not lost 15 consecutive games in 2020  they might not have realized how dreadful they were. It’s true that have been bad for a while, having just one winning season in the last ten years. However, they had never clinched the first overall pick in the draft until last season. On the bright side, this served as a wake-up call.

The Jaguars ousted head coach Doug Marrone after the 2020 season and brought in Urban Meyer to take his place. Alongside general manager Trent Baalke, Meyer has spent the offseason adding depth and talent to a roster that lacked both last year. Jacksonville finally has a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and their defense looks in better shape than it did last season. On the other hand, and there are a few spots up for grabs and these five players are the biggest wildcards in training camp.

Doug Costin will compete for playing time in the defensive line rotation

The Jaguars signed Doug Costin as an undrafted free agent last offseason. Injuries forced him into the lineup and the former RedHawk ended up appearing in 12 games with nine starts. Although he didn’t register a sack, he logged 32 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, and two passes defensed.

Costin played 41 percent of the team’s total defensive snaps last season but that amount will most likely decrease after the additions of Malcom Brown and rookie Jay Tufele this offseason. The Jags thrust the Miami product into the lineup because they had no one else to turn to. He will now have to compete with fellow sophomore DaVon Hamilton and Tufele for the starting job next to Brown.