Stop me if you've heard this one before: the Jacksonville Jaguars beat a tough New Orleans Saints team because of the running game and their defense.
Yes, the Jags' win against the New Orleans Saints happened in a preseason game that was played under very gentlemanly rules, but that doesn't mean that we can't be impressed by the guys who stepped up and powered Jacksonville to their first victory in 2026.
Of all the players who contributed to the Cardiac Cats' latest comeback win, I saw three who locked up their roster spots if the preseason ended today. One of them genuinely came out of nowhere, as it seemed like the top spots in his position group were locked down for good.
The Jaguars need to make sure J'Mari Taylor gets the ball this season
Resting all of your starters and top backups can be a blessing and a curse, and the latter was the case for the Jaguars' running back room after J'Mari Taylor punished the Saints all afternoon.
Taylor's 22 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown included some runs that made the Virginia alum look like a human sledgehammer. Going into training camp, it seemed like DeeJay Dallas would be the fourth running back on the roster to handle special teams duties and give everyone a break in a pinch. After all, he's been on the team since last December.
After Saturday's effort, however, Taylor could be the one getting those three or four carries a game instead. To be frank, that could be for the best since LeQuint Allen hasn't done enough to prove himself as a ball carrier.
Danny Striggow won't have to go quietly into the night after all
I can't lie, I thought B.J. Green would be the undrafted free agent from last year to survive Wesley Williams and Zach Durfee's arrivals. However, Striggow looked like a disruptive force in the trenches against New Orleans, and I don't think the Jaguars can risk losing a veteran they can rely on at a position of need.
As the offseason progressed, it was clear that James Gladstone's two steps to address Jacksonville's underwhelming pass rush were to 1) get good and 2) draft some interesting prospects on Day 3. Thankfully, Striggow decided to help Gladstone make some progress on Step 1 and showed flashes of his significant development in Anthony Campanile's system.
All of the sudden, the battle for the EDGE 3 spot appears to be one of the most interesting on the team. Jacksonville's heavy reliance on the core of its roster means that we won't be seeing a lot of snaps from Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker next week, if we see any at all. That means Striggow will get another chance to expand his role in the defensive line's regular season rotation.
Jabbar Muhammad laid the wood and did enough to secure a depth spot in the DB room
Jabbar Muhammad had a tackle for loss in the open field, a pass defensed, and led the Jaguars in tackles, with all six of them being solos. Seeing how many players got a chance to see the field on Saturday, a defensive back leading the team in tackles is an eye-popping statistic.
Before Jacksonville's preseason opener even kicked off, Muhammad had begun to separate himself from the other corners at the bottom of the roster. Heading into the second preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, I think it's safe to say that the Oregon Duck, at the very least, will make the final 53-man roster as a key special teamer.
Since injuries are inevitable at the NFL level, it will be interesting to see how Muhammad develops as a defender in the secondary. If his tackling ends up getting even better, he may find a way to get reps on running downs once the regular season begins.
Yesterday, the New Orleans Saints were only able to gain 56 rushing yards as a team. So, the best way for Muhammad to make sure he catches Anthony Campanile's attention is to make sure he sends a message every time a running back comes his way. If he does that, he could reserve his spot in Jacksonville for a long time.
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