The Jacksonville Jaguars are trending up after beating the Buffalo Bills in Week 9. They aren’t going to suddenly go 9-0 in their remaining games but they are headed in the right direction after losing five straight games to start the 2021 season.
The Jags don’t have a realistic chance to qualify for the playoffs but that shouldn’t stop them from making moves that will help them improve. Signing wide receiver John Brown to their practice squad is a good start. It shows they make want to make adjustments to the roster.
However, adding players is not the only thing the Jaguars can do to get better. They can also tweak their current personnel and see who can help them win games this season and beyond. The only way to do that is to give some of their younger players more playing time.
In particular, these five Jaguars need to get more snaps.
Jaguars player who should play more in 2021 No. 1 – Jordan Smith
The Jaguars’ brass had a plan in place when they drafted edge rusher Jordan Smith out of UAB in this year’s draft. They wanted to bring him along slowly and have him back up defensive end/outside linebacker Josh Allen.
Smith made the Jags’ 53-man roster but has not been active for a single game in 2021. Defensive coordinator Joe Cullen recently told the local media the team is pleased with the rookie’s development and noted that he will play at some point. However, he didn’t provide a timeline, and it could very well be in Week 10 or the season finale.
It may be difficult to give Jordan playing time due to the depth the Jaguars have in their defensive line. Having said that, giving him five defensive snaps per game sounds reasonable. Let him play in passing downs and see if he can rush the passer.
Jaguars player who should play more in 2021 No. 2 – Rudy Ford
All things considered, the Jaguars had a pretty good 2021 free-agent class. Cornerback Shaquill Griffin has become a key cog on defense and a vocal leader in the locker room. Wide receiver Marvin Jones has become the primary target in the passing game and return specialist Jamal Agnew showed he isn’t a one-trick pony and is gotten more playing time on offense.
The aforementioned players are the ones that have had the biggest impact in 2021 but they’re far from the only ones. Safety Rudy Ford didn’t play defense much early in the season (and his career for that matter) but has seen his role increase considerably since Week 6.
The 2017 sixth-round pick has played special teams for most of his season but head coach Urban Meyer has praised him several times and said he earned a role on defense. The fact that cornerback Tre Herndon isn’t fully recovered from an MCL injury he sustained in the preseason paved the way for Ford to join the Jaguars’ starting lineup.
Against the Bills, the Auburn product logged seven total tackles, three passes defensed, and his first career interception in the NFL. Although it’s just one game, he fared well in the slot and the coaching staff now needs to know if he should stay there moving forward.
Ford signed a two-year deal worth $4.1 million earlier this year. If he proves he can play nickel full time, the Jags will have found a bargain.
Jaguars player who should play more in 2021 No. 3 – Andre Cisco
After the 2020 season, it was challenging to look at the Jaguars’ roster and find a position group that DIDN’T need upgrades. However, there were some units that needed more help than others, such as safety. The team’s brass knew and made several additions to the group in the offseason.
The Jags signed Rayshawn Jenkins and Rudy Ford in free agency. They also brought back Josh Jones and also drafted Andre Cisco in the third round of this year’s selection meeting. Even though the safety room was not a strength, it looked in way better shape than it did in 2020, and it was fair to wonder who was going to make the cut. After all, Jacksonville also had Andrew Wingard, veteran Jarrod Wilson, and Daniel Thomas.
In the end, Wilson and Jones didn’t make the cut. The next question was who was going to start next to Jenkins in Week 1. Cisco was a strong candidate, as he had the highest Pro Football Focus overall grade among rookie safeties in the preseason. Ultimately, the team went with Wingard.
Cisco got some playing time on defense in the first two weeks of the season but was then relegated to special teams. In the last six games, he’s had just eight defensive snaps. Wingard has not been particularly bad but now would be a good time for the Jags to give Cisco a look.
The Syracuse product had injury red flags ahead of the draft but has remained healthy in the pros. He was a big-play machine for the Orangemen, logging 13 passes defensed and 14 interceptions in 24 collegiate games. The Jaguars’ defense could use some of that playmaking prowess.
Jaguars player who should play more in 2021 No. 4 – Walker Little
Andre Cisco isn’t the only rookie that hasn’t seen the field much for the Jaguars. Offensive tackle Walker Little just made the first start of his NFL career but before that, he had barely seen the field. He was inactive the first two games of the season and later landed on the COVID-19/Injury Reserve list.
Little’s first game in the NFL was against the Miami Dolphins in Week 6 and only had one offensive snap. If Cam Robinson hadn’t hurt his back in Week 9, the rookie offensive tackle wouldn’t have played, which is kind of puzzling when you take into account that he was an early-round pick in the 2021 draft and high selections are expected to contribute right away.
It’s possible that Jacksonville’s coaching staff didn’t want to rush Little into action and may want to wait until next year to plug him into the lineup when Robinson becomes a free agent. Although that approach kind of makes sense, the Jags run the risk of not knowing if Little can be a starting left tackle. Sure, they have seen him practice and have an idea but it’s not the same as giving him playing time on game day.
Now, the Jaguars can’t simply bench Robinson. He would either have to struggle badly, which isn’t likely or miss time with injuries. Otherwise, it may not be in the teams’ best interest to give Little playing time just to see how he performs. Maybe the Jaguars can find a way to give Little playing down the road but they need to know if he is or can become the long-term answer at left tackle.
Jaguars player who should play more in 2021 No. 5 – Taven Bryan
Before the start of the season, suggesting defensive tackle Taven Bryan deserved more playing time would have been baffling and would have earned you a blank stare. But here we are and the 29th overall pick of the 2018 draft earned himself a deeper look after his outstanding performance against the Bills in Week 9.
In case you missed it, Bryan wreaked havoc at the line of scrimmage and played like the former first-round pick that he is. Heading into the game, he had 3.5 career sacks. Against Buffalo, he had two. Moreover, his play inside helped the Jaguars’ defensive front set the edge and pressure quarterback Josh Allen all game long.
This is more surprising when you consider Bryan was made inactive in Week 6 and had gotten a minimal amount of snaps most of the season. It’s possible that his lack of playing time in 2021 was a wake-up call. Maybe his two-sack performance was a one-time deal but the Jaguars need to find out in the following weeks, as the defensive tackle is set to become a free agent next offseason.
After the Bills game, Josh Allen described Bryan as a talented player. Urban Meyer also said the team liked him even though they declined to exercise the fifth-year option in his rookie deal. This was going to be a prove-it year for the defensive tackle. It took him a while but he showed what he can do at last. Now, the Jags need to know if he can do it consistently.