5 Jaguars surprises giving fans reason to believe at the bye week

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 4-2 going into their BYE. While their losses to the Houston Texans and the Denver Broncos sting, the Jags should feel good about the state of the team going into the BYE. Sure, they have their work cut out for them. Head coach Lim Coen will need to work on his clock management and put a renewed emphasis on fundamentals to cut down on penalties.

That said, Jacksonville has enough talent on both sides of the ball to keep winning football games in the second half of the season. In particular, these five players have been impressive enough that they should get bigger roles after the bye.

5 Jaguars surprises that deserve bigger roles after the BYE

Nate Boerkircher, tight end

The Jaguars caught plenty of heat in the 2026 draft for passing on other players to take Nate Boerkircher in Round 2. The criticism stemmed from the fact that Jacksonville seemingly had bigger needs and selected him way before the consensus big board suggested. The good news is that he's turned out to be a great pick.

The Jags drafted Boerkircher because they wanted to run more multi-tight end sets. He's done just that, showcasing his devastating blocking skills from the get-go. But more recently, the former Texas A&M Aggie displayed his underrated passing skills, reeling in a one-handed grab for a touchdown pass, the first one of his career.

Without a doubt, Boerkircher has quietly silenced his doubters.

Chris Rodriguez, running back

The Jaguars signed Chris Rodriguez in free agency to help fill the void left by Travis Etienne's departure. Not only that, the expectation was that he was going to play a role in fixing the team's stink from 2025, a.k.a. the running game.

However, the Jags had to wait until training camp to see Rodriguez in action because he underwent surgery in the offseason. Then, the regular season came, and the Kentucky Wildcat was underwhelming, toting the rock 12 times for a measly 36 yards the first two games. The good news is that he's overcome that slow start to become an integral part of the Jacksonville backfield, racking up 132 yards on 27 carries.

While Tuten remains the top option at running back, Rodriguez has done enough to earn more playing time moving forward.

Josh Cameron, wide receiver

Josh Cameron turned heads in training camp, and his strong play has carried into the regular season. Although the rookie out of Baylor didn't get many opportunities the first few five weeks, he made the most of them, registering eight receptions for 117 yards with two touchdowns on 12 targets.

Even in the loss to Houston, Cameron didn't get any targets but had a 46-yard kick return. Simply put, he's carved out a niche on offense and special teams. Nobody will bat an eye if he gets an even bigger role once Jacksonville returns from the BYE.

Ameer Abdullah, running back

Chris Rodriguez isn't the only running back who has stepped up for the Jaguars. Sure, Bhayshul Tuten has been impressive, but that's not necessarily a surprise, since everyone saw from a mile away that he was going to break out in 2026. Anyway, Ameer Abdullah has had a different kind of role but has equally shown out.

Jacksonville signed Abdullah after the 2026 draft, and the truth is that you would've been hard-pressed to find anyone who thought he would be much more than a camp body. However, he silenced his doubters (guilty as charged) with strong training camp and preseason showings. The grizzled running back ultimately ended up earning a spot on the 53-man roster, but that was just the beginning.

Abdullah has been productive in a limited role at running back, toting the rock 10 times for 45 yards. His biggest impact has been on special teams, though. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had the kickoff return that put Cam Little in a position to nail the walk-off field goal that put the Jaguars on top.

Keep in mind that Abdullah is 33, old for running back standards. That makes his success in Duval even more impressive.

Travis Hunter, cornerback

It's not that we didn't know Travis Hunter could be a game-changer; it's just that his dynamic two-way skills hadn't translated into the NFL yet, aside from his jaw-dropping outing against the Los Angeles Rams last year.

But now that the Jaguars have figured out how to get the most out of the former Heisman Trophy winner, he's wasted no time showcasing why they drafted him second overall in 2025.

Already, Hunter was playing corner at a high level, but he proved in the loss to the Texans that he could make an impact on both offense and defense in the same game, picking off CJ. Stroud and scoring his first touchdown of the season.

And that's just the beginning. Expect Jackosnville to unleash Hunter's full two-way potential as the year progresses.

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