The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they would sit their starters for the preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins. This made sense for a couple of reasons.
On the one hand, the Jags didn't want to expose their starters to injury risk. On the other hand, they gave several players one last chance to make an impression. Unfortunately, a recent draft pick wasn't able to seize the opportunity and could soon get the boot.
The Jaguars will likely move on from 2024 draft pick Javon Foster
A fourth-round pick in 2024, Javon Foster was unremarkable as a rookie. He was a healthy scratch for several games despite the fact that Jacksonville needed help up front. Then, a new regime took over in 2025, and the former Mizzou Tiger failed to make the most of his fresh start.
Throughout the offseason, Foster didn't do anything of note. Then, the preseason came, and he still wasn't able to stand out. The Detroit, Michigan native played 67 snaps in the first two games, giving up just one pressure. In the finale, he was one of the many players who did suit up and struggled to contain Chop Robinson.
Now, the team's brass will proceed to trim down the roster to 53-man players, and it's hard to see Foster sticking around.
Related: Biggest winners and losers from the encouraging Jguars preseason
Why Javon Foster will have trouble staying with the Jaguars
You could make that fourth-year linebacker Chad Muma had the worst offseason of any Jaguars player, but the truth is that sophomore Javon Foster was equally unremarkable. To add insult to injury, Jacksonville has a bit of a surplus at offensive tackle.
Walker Little and Anton Harrison are the starters. Swing tackle Cole Van Lanen missed training camp but should return for the regular season. Fred Johnson, although he had a quiet offseason program, should also get the nod. Free-agent bargain Chuma Edoga, who's shown the ability to play inside and outside, is also in the mix. And if that wasn't enough, rookie Wyatt Milum lined up on the edges in the preseason.
This is a long-winded way to say that even if Javon Foster had fared better than he did the past few months, he would still have trouble getting a roster spot because of how deep Jacksonville is at offensive tackle.
Ultimately, this is a brutal indictment of former general manager Trent Baalke. At the time, the Javon Foster pick didn't look great, but even then, the new regime still gave him a fair shake. He wasn't able to take advantage of the chance, and it may be a matter of time before the Jags cut ties with him. Once they do, it will be further confirmed that Baalke made a mistake.