Since Liam Coen became the head coach in 2025, the Jacksonville Jaguars have put an emphasis on competition and being tough. This has allowed players to either work their way up their depth chart or increase their odds of making the initial 53-man roster. Such was the case of Danny Striggow and B.J. Green II last year.
After going undrafted, both Striggow and Green appeared to be long shots to crack the team. However, they just got to work and made such a strong impression that they ended up earning a roster spot. Rookie running back J'Mari Taylor could follow suit in 2026.
Like Striggow and Green, Taylor went undrafted. But he quickly generated hype in the aftermath of the draft, and he backed it up in rookie minicamp.
The Jaguars should be hyped up about J'Mari Taylor
John Shipley of Sports Illustrated reported that J'Mari Taylor was among the standouts at rookie minicamp, pointing out that the running back out of Virginia stood out because of his speed and pass-catching skills. Here's the skinny.
"Taylor was one of two running backs at practice alongside second-year running back Ja'Quinden Jackson, and he stood out in a big way. He looks like a natural pass-catcher out of the backfield, has more explosiveness than it seemed like was advertised," Shipley wrote. "It is hard for a running back to make a big impact in a practice without pads on, but I thought Taylor took advantage of the opportunity in front of him."
Taylor broke out for the Eagles in 2024, registering 1,146 yards with 15 touchdowns on 196 carries. He transferred to Virginia the following year and ended up toting 222 times for 1,062 yards with 14 touchdowns.
This begs the question: Why did Taylor go undrafted? For starters, he isn't the biggest running back at 5'10" and 199 pounds. Moreover, this was a deep running back class, so teams went with other options instead of him. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though.
Taylor would've probably wanted to hear his name called on Draft Day, but at least he got to choose where he landed and couldn't have chosen a better place.
In Jacksonville, Taylor joined a backfield that includes Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez, LeQuint Allen Jr., and DeeJay Dallas. Of the four, Dallas is the most vulnerable. At worst, he could spend his rookie campaign in the practice squad.
J'Mari Taylor is a sleeper to make the Jaguars 53-man roster
While J'Mari Taylor could face an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster, he'll most definitely have the chance. He probably won't work all his way to the top of the depth chart and challenge Bhayshul Tuten for the No. 1 job. That said, he could push DeeJay Dallas out of the team's plans.
Sure, Dallas just signed a one-year deal in February to return to Jacksonville, but releasing him wouldn't leave much dead money. This is a roundabout way to say that Jacksonville can cut ties with him and keep Taylor without suffering meaningful repercussions.
Of course, there's still a long way to go, but Taylor is off to a good start. Now, he'll need to keep taking advantage of every single opportunity he gets to solidify his odds of sticking around in Duval next season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google