Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars weren't particularly active in free agency, they did a good job addressing the larger scale roster in the NFL Draft. On top of that, several returning players are expected to either compete for starting jobs or take on bigger roles.
All the additions, along with the players poised to take a leap in Year 2, should put the Jags in a position to defend their AFC South title next season. On the other hand, the team's brass will have tough decisions to make come cutdown day.
See, Jacksonville is stacked at several position groups, so a few players will have trouble making the 53-man roster. These five, in particular, could be cut candidates based on how the offseason unfolded.
Christian Braswell, Jaguars cornerback
Early in the offseason, cornerback appeared to be a need for the Jaguars because Greg Newsome and Montaric Brown were slated to become free agents. However, the position could turn out to be a strength because Brown returned to Duval on a three-year deal, and Travis Hunter will tentatively play defense full-time next season.
With Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones in the mix, the top half of the cornerback depth chart looks great, but the bottom half also looks good. Jabbar Muhammad showed noticeable improvement in the offseason program after going undrafted last year. Similarly, Preston Hodge and Davon Marshall will compete for a roster spot after also going undrafted. This could leave Christian Braswell as the odd man out.
Unlike other cornerbacks, Braswell was unremarkable at OTAs. Then again, he went against the starters, while Hodge, Marshall, and Muhammad practiced with the second and third teams.
Braswell will enter training camp with an edge, but he cannot afford to struggle with Hodge, Marshall, and Muhammad lurking behind.
Yasir Abdullah, Jaguars linebacker
The Jaguars are stacked at linebacker even after losing Devin Lloyd to the Carolina Panthers in free agency. Foyesade Oluokun is back, and Ventrel Miller is slated to start next to him. On top of that, sophomore Branson Combs could push Miller. Beyond those three, Jacksonville has Jalen McLeod, Dennis Gardeck, Jack Kiser, Parker Hughes, and Yasir Abdullah.
McLeod and Garneck will rush the passer from a standup position and will likely occupy the No. 3 slot when the Jags run a 4-3 defense. On the other hand, Kiser will tentatively be the primary backup behind Oluokun. That would leave maybe one spot up for grabs, and Hughes and Abdullah will probably have to compete with him.
Abdullah has provided depth and special teams play the past three seasons, but that may not cut it in a year in which the Jaguars have playmakers at linebacker.
Chuma Edoga, Jaguars offensive lineman
The Jaguars brought back all their starters on the offensive line from last year and later added Emmanuel Pregnon in the 2026 NFL Draft. With sophomores Wyatt Milum and Jonah Monheim also in the mix, they have pretty good depth across the trenches. That said, the surplus of options may not bode well for Chuma Edoga.
Whereas Pregnon turned heads at OTAs, Edoga didn't do much of note. Coupled with his struggles last year, and the veteran hog molly should feel his seat warm up in training camp.
Edoga can play guard and offensive tackle. He even had a strong offseason last year. But once the regular season rolled out, he was hampered by penalties. Specifically, he was flagged a concerning five times on a bit over 100 offensive snaps.
Unless, Edoga cleans up his penaltie woes, he could be shown the door before the regular season.
Hunter Long, Jaguars tight end
The Jaguars have a good problem at tight end. Brenton Strange was entering a contract year, but the team's brass took care of business, giving him a three-year extension with an annual average of $12 million. Not bad for a player who was stuck behind Evan Engram in his first two NFL seasons.
Aside from Strange, Jacksonville used second and fourth-round picks of this year's draft on Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol. That's great news for Liam Coen's offensive vision, but not so great for Hunter Long and Quintin Morris.
While Morris failed to show much as a pass-catcher at Organized Team Activities, the team values his blocking skills. Long isn't nearly as proficient a blocker, but is a better pass-catcher.
That said, Jacksonville likes Morris, and unless he struggles badly in training camp, he could get the nod over Long, who would free up $1.3 million in space if he gets the boot.
Ameer Abdullah, Jaguars running back
After signing Chris Rodriguez in the first wave of free agency, the Jaguars waited until the draft concluded to make external additions to the roster. Ameer Abdullah was among the players locked up, probably as insurance after Rodriguez underwent foot surgery in the offseason.
While the former Kentucky Wildcat missed the offseason program, he's expected to be back at full strength for training camp. With Bhayshul Tuten, DeeJay Dallas, and LeQuint Allen Jr. also in the mix, Abdullah may have trouble sticking around.
During Rodriguez's absence, undrafted running back J'Mari Taylor made the most of his opportunities. For his part, Abdullah was fine, but all accounts, he didn't stand out. His contributions on special teams could, in theory, help him. The issue is that it may not be enough to make the cut. After all, Allen and Dallas can also contribute in that phase of the game.
Maybe Abdullah can make one last impression in training camp, but as things stand, he's a long shot to make the cut.
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