Things just wrapped up in Louisiana, and the Jacksonville Jaguars escaped with a 24 to 20 victory against the New Orleans Saints. However, it seems like there's more bad news than good to consider after this one. Unfortunately, the sorest topic of conversation comes from the most-valuable position group on the roster, which is certainly not what you want to hear after a full free-agency cycle and 10-pick NFL draft.
During their comeback win against the Saints, the Jaguars saw themselves fall into a deep hole as Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson led their squad through a dominant first thirty minutes. Rattler was one of New Orleans' players to watch before the game, but Wilson was actually the one who stole the show with his athleticism and arm talent.
Things seem to be looking fine for New Orleans and the backup signal-callers on their roster, but that's definitely not the case in Jacksonville, Florida. If something doesn't change soon, the Jaguars' quarterback room will be in a legitimate crisis; and I don't think the best QB2 possible is even on the roster to begin with.
The 1st half of the Jaguars preseason opener told the entire Nick Mullens story
The first half went as bad as it could for the QBs trying to show Liam Coen and James Gladstone that they deserve a spot on the final 53-man roster. Nick Mullens finished the day with three completions on seven pass attempts for 33 yards and an interception. And that interception was a backbreaker, as it came while Jacksonville's offense was driving down the field to respond to New Orleans' opening touchdown.
In the second quarter, Carter Bradley threw a bad interception himself and ate a couple of rough sacks throughout his time on the field this afternoon. Some sacks were because he held onto the ball too long while others were definitely the offensive line's fault.
Speaking of which, there were more than a few presnap penalties that derailed the offense's momentum. The Jaguars' 46 penalty yards were less than the 66 given up by the Saints, but context in which Jacksonville's mistakes happened definitely made them feel more important.
That could be my own bias talking, but it shows signs of a problem that's existed since last September. If this is what happens when things are vanilla, how will it go when Liam Coen's ready to use the whole book?
As if that wasn't enough, Bradley and Mullens couldn't respond to the extra chances the defenses gave them during the first thirty minutes. As Jax kept punting, Nawlins kept finding a way to move the ball and get into scoring position. That's ultimately why the Jags entered the locker room down 20-6 before clearing their heads and getting ready for the third quarter.
There were some bright spots to consider (taps to Carter Bradley)
To be fair to Carter Bradley, he played a lot better in the second half of the game. Trebor Peña let him down after the young signal-caller threw a tight and beautiful ball into the end zone between multiple defenders. If Peña had hauled it in, Bradley would have had one of the best highlights of the weekend.
Then again, I can't cry too much about what could have been since Bradley led an actual touchdown drive during the third quarter to help the offense rebound after a horrendous first half. If I had to call it now, Bradley would be the Jaguars' QB2 rolling into Week 1's contest against the Cleveland Browns.
However, that doesn't mean I'd actually want him to play.
Before I move on, I should also mention that Joey Aguilar led a touchdown drive that ended in a rushing TD after Peña drew a huge pass interference penalty that got the Jags inside the Saints' five-yard line. Every scoring drive mattered today, so I can't harp on the bad without mentioning some of the good.
That being said . . .
There's still time for James Gladstone to bring in some real competition
As high as I am on Bradley's second-half performance, we have to remember that it came against the bottom end of the New Orleans Saints' roster. Every player who competed today was a professional who should have our respect, but we have to look at things as objectively as possible. After all, that's what their coaches are doing.
If I were James Gladstone, I'd leave no stone unturned throughout the world of pro football to find another quarterback to compete for Jacksonville's QB2 spot. If something happened to Trevor Lawrence, I'm sure the Jaguars would be able to make it through the rest of a game, much less the rest of the season.
The next two preseason games will see a bit more juice from the opponents on the other side of the field. Every wave of the Jags' defense played well against the Saints and gave the offense the possessions they needed to score 18 unanswered points and take the lead in the fourth quarter. However, Anthony Campanile's finest soldiers won't be playing against fourth and fifth-stringers in September.
To make sure the apocalypse doesn't happen if Trevor Lawrence misses a game or two, Gladstone will need to hit the phones and hit 'em in a hurry. If not, the franchise could risk picking in the Top 10 of the draft for the second time in three years.
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