With the arrival of training camp, the Jacksonville Jaguars are guaranteed to have some heartbreaking departures.
Every year, athletes from various levels of the sport dream of getting their opportunity to show an NFL coaching staff what they can do. Sadly, a lot of these guys get shown the door despite having all the upside in the world.
Sometimes, it's nobody's fault. Even Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has to find guys to cut, and he misses the least out of everybody. Fortunately (or tragically, depending on how you look at it), James Gladstone doesn't have it half as bad as his peer in Philly, as there's one position group that looks a bit bloated after the Jaguars' spending and drafting this offseason.
Not that long ago, Gladstone and the front office dropped a banger and signed Brenton Strange to a three-year, $48 million contract extension. The deal solidified the Penn State alum's status as Jacksonville's starting tight end for the foreseeable future; and the timing of the deal was surprising since Jax spent two draft picks on tight ends this past April.
So, out of nowhere, the Jaguars' tight end room has become one of the organization's biggest stories going into training camp, as there's no way they're going to keep five guys after the final cutdowns have come and gone.
. . . right?
It's almost inevitable that the Jaguars tight end room is getting a trim
With all due respect to Hunter Long, his days with the Jags became numbered the moment James Gladstone turned in the card to draft Nate Boerkircher in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Long doesn't offer a lot as a receiver, and his role as a blocker is certainly in jeopardy after the front office paid the price they did to bring in a younger pure road grader who played in the SEC.
However, I could certainly end up being wrong, because Long filled in valiantly for Brenton Strange after he missed a few games because of injury. When Liam Coen and the coaching staff needed him the most, Long stepped up and gave the offense something to work with. That kind of reliability is all you can ask for from a TE4 type of player.
For all that's worth, the very back of the position group's row on the depth chart is the only spot that could be up for grabs. As I write this article, ESPN actually has Quintin Morris listed as the Jaguars' fourth-string TE. In 2025, Morris caught six passes for 55 yards and a score.
If a complete disappointment happens and Tanner Koziol has a rough camp, he'll still have a good chance to make the initial 53. I highly doubt that teams like the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons will let a receiving tight end like Koziol slip away if they had a chance to add him to their practice squads. To be honest, I'm still shocked that Arizona and Atlanta didn't think to pair the athletic, finesse player with Trey McBride or Kyle Pitts. In that regard, I give Gladstone a ton of credit, as the Houston Cougar is a perfect choice to be the Jaguars' change-of-pace guy on third and long.
Ultimately, pro football is a business, and Boerkircher and Koziol have the chance to fill valuable, niche roles while working on cheap contracts. With Strange emerging as one of the faces of the franchise, the TE1, 2, and 3 spots are pretty much locked down. While that's not great news for everyone else in the position room, I can't remember the last time the Jaguars had a group this strong and versatile headed into the season.
It's just too bad that the NFL's rules won't let Liam Coen and James Gladstone have it all in the end.
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