4 Jaguars whose stock plummeted following the loss to Steelers

Although the Jacksonville Jaguars have yet to win a preseason game, they’ve made significant strides over the last few months. In their 16-15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the starting offense was able to move the ball while the defense fared well against the run.

Moreover, players such as wide receiver Christian Kirk and defensive end Dawuane Smoot showed the kind of impact they could have for the Jags in 2022.

Conversely, a handful of players didn’t have a great outing and failed to either solidify their roster spot or move up the depth chart. In particular, these four Jaguars saw their sock plummet following the loss to the Steelers.

No. 4 Jaguars player whose stock is plummeting: Laviska Shenault Jr, WR

The Jags showed they didn’t expect wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. to have a big role on their offense when they signed Christian Kirk and Zay Jones in free agency. This gave Viska the opportunity to put his head down and work on his craft in the offseason, so whenever he got a chance, he could show his worth to the coaching staff.

However, Shenault hasn’t done much of note lately and his outing against the Steelers wasn’t particularly impressive. Against Pittsburgh, he had two returns. He muffed the first one and gained five yards on the next one.

Shenault later caught a pass for six yards. Simply put, that’s not the kind of performance that will get you much playing time, especially when you take into account that fellow wide receiver Tim Jones hauled in five receptions for 70 yards.

All things considered, it’s possible that Shenault is trying to do too much. But regardless of the reason, it doesn’t look like he will be a big part of Jacksonville’s offense this year, so a fresh start may be in everyone’s best interest.