Instead of reloading in the offseason like other playoff teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars chose to mostly stay on the sidelines in free agency, opting instead to re-sign their homegrown talent. On paper, the strategy doesn't make sense, but the Jags didn't have to bring in nearly as many reinforcements because they have spent the last few years building a well-rounded roster core.
When James Gladstone became the general manager in 2025, he talked about raising the team's floor. All things considered, he did a good job. And this year, Jacksonville raised the ceiling.
The end result may not look enticing at first sight, but the Jaguars should feel good about the state of the roster going into training camp.
The Jaguars made several key additions that will have a big impact
The Jaguars had an uneventful offseason. Their lone external free-agent signing before the draft was running back Chris Rodriguez. While they've made a few more additions since then, none of them truly move the needle.
Then, the draft came, and Jacksonville took Nate Boerkricher with their first selection at No. 52. At a surface level, that's as unappealing as a pick can get because the former Texas A&M Aggie is projected to be the No. 2 tight end behind Brenton Strange.
Having said that, adding Rodriguez and Boerkircher will have a huge impact, even if neither was an earth-shattering addition. The former will give the running game a boost, while the latter will allow Jacksonville to run more two-tight-end sets, which will, in turn, give the offense an overlooked edge.
But beyond those two, the team's brass did a good job of addressing the larger scale roster.
The Jaguars will hold several position battles in training camp
The Jaguars could have used more help at defensive tackle, but aside from free agent John Franklin-Myers, there weren't many appealing options in the open market or the draft. But apart from the interior defensive line, James Gladstone bolstered pretty much every position group.
Gladstone added rookies CJ Williams and Josh Cameron to an already crowded wide receiver room. The same is true for safety Jalen Husky, a third-round pick in 2026. First-year hog molly Emmanuel Pregnon, dubbed the steal of Round 2, should join the starting lineup sooner rather than later. Jacksonville also added Tanner Koziol in the fourth round and used a seventh-rounder in linebacker Parker Hughes.
Leaving aside the rookie class, several second-year players are ready to step up and compete for prominent roles. Meanwhile, a handful of veterans are at risk of losing their jobs or tumbling down the depth chart.
That's a great problem to have, as the team's brass will have to make tough decisions come cutdown day and release players who could also most definitely contribute if they stuck around. This will, in turn, put an added emphasis on several position battles.
When you add it all up, the Jaguars are in great shape ahead of training camp, even if critics aren't enthused about their offseason moves or lack thereof.
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