Depending on whom you ask, the Jacksonville Jaguars may or may not win more than six games in the 2022 season. On the other hand, mostly everyone agrees the Jags are better than they were last season.
Sure, the bar isn’t particularly high when you take into account that Urban Meyer left the team in shambles. But that doesn’t mean Doug Pederson’s work should be underlooked. In fact, the case could be made that hiring him is one of the best moves the organization has made in years.
Pederson has done a good job of gaining his players’ trust these past few months. Also, the Jags now look like a well-run team, which might not sound like much but it’s a big deal when you take into account that Meyer did everything He wasn’t supposed to do during his short stint in Jacksonville.
Of course, having a more talented roster should help Pederson rack up more than a few victories in 2022 and he will have his first crack when the Jags face off against the Washington Commanders in Week 1 of the regular season.
Days before the game, the Jaguars released their first official depth chart for the 2022 season and there are a few things that stood out. With that in mind, here are three takeaways.
3. Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd will start next to Foyesade Oluokun in Week 1
If the Jaguars’ brass didn’t envision Devin Lloyd starting from Day 1, they wouldn’t have traded up six spots in this year’s draft to take him 27th overall. The former Utah Ute fared well in Organized Activities but he suffered a hamstring injury in training camp that forced him to miss several practices and put his availability for Week 1 in question.
Ultimately, Lloyd bounced back and made an appearance in the preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons. Nevertheless, fellow rookie Chad Muma took advantage of his absence and made a strong case to start next to Foyesade Oluokun against the Commanders.
In fact, Doug Pederson told the media days before the season opener that Muma had earned consideration to start due to his improvement. Ultimately, Lloyd got the nod but the coaching staff could always pull him from the game if he underperforms or gets hurt again. Also, Muma will continue to lurk around waiting for a chance, so Lloyd can’t afford to get complacent.
2. Jawaan Taylor seized the Jaguars starting job at right tackle
If you follow the B&T, I would like to thank you but I would also like to remind you that our own Adam Laviano argued that Jawaan Taylor had earned the starting job over Walker Little after taking a deep look at how things unfolded in the preseason and training camp.
Laviano pointed out that Taylor outplayed Little and didn’t miss a beat despite the fact that he missed time after suffering a hamstring injury in the preseason. Sure, Taylor is coming off a year in which he allowed penalties at a high rate. Also, he gave up six sacks in 2021, so there was a feeling Little was going to come out of the battle with the starting job.
However, the Texas native wasn’t able to take advantage of Taylor’s injury-related absence. Conversely, Taylor had a sense of urgency and fared so well that it didn’t matter that he was unavailable for a bit.
The Jaguars went with the devil they know but this is by no means the end of the road for Little, who should eventually get another crack at the job. Taylor has started 49 straight games for the Jaguars and he will continue the streak alive in 2022.
On the other hand, Taylor is set to become a free agent next offseason, and if he doesn’t return to Jacksonville, Little could plug him at right tackle. Similarly, if the veteran gets hurt, Little will take his place in the lineup.
1. The Jaguars could be taking a conservative approach with James Robinson
James Robinson said earlier this year that he expected to be ready for the season opener and to nobody’s surprise, he will suit up against the Commanders. On the other hand, the former Illinois State Redbird sits behind Travis Etienne on the depth chart.
There are different ways to look at the Jags’ decision to list Etienne as the top running back and all of them make sense. For starters, Robinson tore his Achilles last December and even though he’s already practicing at full speed, he hasn’t been exposed to getting hit. Also, the coaching staff doesn’t need to rush him back with Etienne back in the fold.
Sure, the Jaguars would probably like to split their workload evenly but they don’t have to, especially so early in the season. They’re better off seeing how Robinson’s body responds in Week 1 and they can progressively increase his playing time. This isn’t like last year, when Urban Meyer played favorites and gave carries to Carlos Hyde even though Robinson was without a doubt the better player of the two.
By the season’s end, Jacksonville could have one of the most dynamic backfields in the NFL. For the time being, it’s good to see Robinson be ready to take on the Commanders. Once he shows he can take on a bigger role, he will get more carries and remind everyone how good he was last year in spite of his limited workload and his injury.