The Jacksonville Jaguars expect players like Trevor Lawrence and wide receiver Parker Washington to build off their impressive 2025. That said, they're also counting on overlooked or ascending players to take the next step.
Many of these players spent their rookie year honing their skills, while a handful of rookies also have the potential to make an instant impact. With this in mind, here are four Jags curveballs that could shake up the NFL next season.
Caleb Ransaw, Jaguars safety
Eric Murray gave the Jaguars stability at safety in 2025, while Antonio Johnson broke out. Both of them will surely be the starters come Week 1, but sophomore Caleb Ransaw should also see ample playing time.
Ransaw was on his way to seize a starting job as a rookie before a leg injury brougth his first NFL campaign to a screeching halt. The former Tulane Green Wave is back at full strength and has had no trouble picking up where he left off.
Throughout the offseason program, Ransaw showcased his athleticism, and nobody would bat an eye if he ends up supplanting Murray as the starter at some point of the year.
Danny Striggow, Jaguars defensive end
The Jaguars have one of the NFL's best pass-rush duos in Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. However, they've been missing a No. 3 to round out their rotation dating back to 2023. Perhaps Danny Striggow could change that next season.
After going undrafted in 2025, Striggow made the initial 53-man roster. Although he didn't get much playing time early as a rookie, he saw an uptick in defensive snaps as the year progressed. Now, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher is expected to make a huge leap in Year 2.
While Striggow will face competition from fellow sophomore B.J. Green II and rookies Wesley Williams and Zach Durfee, he has the physical tools to become the No. 3 pass rusher behind Walker and Allen.
Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars running back
The Jaguars caught plenty of heat for letting Travis Etienne leave in free agency and not doing nearly enough to replace him. But maybe they didn't have to because of Bhayshul Tuten. Sure, the former Virginia Tech averaged a measly 3.7 yards per carry as a rookie, and his lack of experience is a reason for concern. That said, he also flashed enough potential to make you think that the Jacksonville backfield will be just fine.
Aside from toting the rock four times for 51 yards in the playoff loss to the Bills, Tuten is much better than his stats suggest. He ranked third among 55 running backs with a rushing success rate of 48.3 percent. Similarly, his rate of tackles avoided per carry was 10th.
With Etienne out of the picture, don't be surprised if Tuten also puts up pretty good numbers next season.
Nate Boerkircher, Jaguars tight end
The Jaguars got plenty of flak for drafting Nate Boerkircher way before the consensus board ranked him. Nevertheless, they're confident that the former Texas A&M Aggie will have a massive impact as a rookie. Sure, his dearth of production in 2025 leaves much to be desired (19 catches for 198 yards with three touchdowns), but his separation rate of 86.4 percent shows that he's a much better pass rusher than he's been given credit for.
In Jacksonville, Boerkircher should get ample playing time despite the fact that Brenton Strange is firmly entrenched as the top of the depth chart. In fact, expect the coaching staff to deploy both of them at the same time in 12-personnel sets in order to create mismatches.
Even if Boerkricher's production doesn't pop off the stat sheet in 2026, his presence alone will give the Jaguars offense a new dimension.
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