The Jacksonville Jaguars just wrapped up the preseason with a 19-0 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They'll next focus on trimming down their roster from 90 players to 53 before the cutdown day deadline on August 30, just two days after the game was held.
Now, the team's brass more or less had an idea of how the final roster would look, with just a handful of jobs up for grabs. That doesn't mean there won't be any surprises. The biggest would probably be an undrafted rookie making the cut. That happened last year when defensive ends Danny Striggow and B.J. Green II got the nod.
This year, wide receiver Trevor Pena comes up short, but another defensive end makes the cut in this 53-man roster projection.
Jaguars final 53-man projection: Special teams (3)
Kicker Cam Little, Punter Logan Cooke, and long snapper Ross Matiscik
This group was never going to have any changes. Cam Little, Ross Matiscik, and Logan Cooke are the specialists in Jacksonville for the foreseeable future.
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Jaguars final 53-man roster projection: Defense (26)
Defensive tackles (5): Matt Dickerson, Ruke Orhorhoro, Albert Regis, DaVon Hamilton, Arik Armstead
Early in the offseason, Matt Dickerson appeared to be a cut candidate, but the Jaguars like him a lot and could be No. 3 on the defensive line rotation. Arik Armstead was also the subject of speculation early in 2026, but he remains in the team's plans.
Ruker Orhorhoro is seemingly behind Dickerson, but should get an uptick in playing time as the season progresses. He flashed serious pass-rush potential in the preseason. Albert Regis should also have a role in the rotation.
Defensive ends (6): Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, B.J. Green, Danny Striggow, Wesley Williams, and Bryan Thomas Jr.
Here's the biggest surprise of the roster. Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker are the starters. B.J. Green did enough to win the No. 3 job. Danny Striggow and Wesley Williams should also get snaps in the rotation. But Bryan Thomas Jr. gets the nod over Zach Durfee because he was simply better in the preseason.
Thomas caught fire in the preseason, and Jacksonville won't want to risk losing him on the waiver wire. His electrifying outing vs. the Bucs should help him get to the finish line.
Linebacker (5): Foyesade Oluokun, Branson Combs, Ventrell Miller, Yasir Abdullah, Dennis Gardeck
Jahali Tavae made a strong impression in the preseason but just came up short. Aside from the Jaguars don't need to carry many linebackers because they run a nickel formation as their base defense, they're stacked at the position.
The most noteworthy thing here is that Combs and Miller will be LB1a and LB1b until one stands out. Yaris Abdullah remains a viable backup, and Dennis Gardeck is the team's best rusher from a standup position.
Cornerback (5): Travis Hunter, Jabbar Muhammad, Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones, Jourdan Lewis
Travis Hunter and Montaric Brown will be the starters in the boundaries. While Jarrian Jones and Jourdan Lewis will mostly line up at nickel, they could play outside if needed.
After a tough training camp battle, Jabbar Muhammad makes the cut over Christian Braswell, but just barely. The second-year cornerback was inconsistent in the preseason but could keep making progress on the 53-man roster.
Safety (5): Antonio Johnson, Jalen Husky, Eric Murray, Caleb Ransaw, Rayuan Layne III
No surprises here. The Jaguars have a well-rounded safety room. Antonio Johnson and Eric Murray remain the starters, but Caleb Ransaw could also see ample playing time in his sophomore campaign.
Depending on the matchup, Jalen Huskey or Rayuan Lane could be inactive for a handful of games.
Jaguars final roster projection: Offense (24)
Quarterbacks (2): Trevor Lawrence, and Nick Mullens
Even though Nick Mullens dealt with ups and downs throughout the preseason, he's still QB2. Trevor Lawrence, for his part, is firmly entrenched as the starter behind center.
The one thing worth monitoring is whether the Jaguars will carry two quarterbacks on the practice squad: Joey Aguilar and Carter Bradley.
Running back (4): Bhayshul Tuten, Ameer Abdullah, LeQuint Allen Jr., and Chris Rodriguez Jr.
LeQuint Allen Jr. is dealing with an injury. It doesn't appear to be serious, but he could miss a few games to start the regular season. That's where Ameer Abdullah becomes important due to his blocking chops and his ability to catch passes out of the backfield.
Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr. will form a dynamic backfield tandem to turbocharge the running game.
Tight ends (3): Brenton Strange, Nate Boekircher, Tanner Koziol
It makes more sense to keep four running backs than four tight ends because it's highly unlikely that someone would claim Hunter Long or Quintin Morris off waivers. If the Jags need them, they could promote either on game day (if they keep them on the practice squad).
Brenton Strange is TE1, but Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol will see plenty of playing time on 12 and 13-personnel sets.
Wide receivers (5): Brian Thomas Jr., CJ Williams, Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, Josh Cameron
It will sting to see Trebor Pena leave in spite of his preseason heroics, but the Jaguars simply don't have room for him. Parker Washington is WR1, but Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. should also get their fair share of targets.
That said, Meyers is dealing with an arm injury. If he's unavailable early in the season, Josh Cameron and Williams could fill in for him. Cameron can also handle return duties, so he could carve out a niche on special teams.
Offensive linemen (10): Walker Little, Cole Van Lanen, Anton Harrison, Ezra Cleveland, Robet Hainsey, Jonah Monheim, Wyatt Milum, Emmanuel Pregnon, Daniel Faalele, and Chuma Edoga
Last but not least, the bigs. The Jaguars suffered injuries on the defensive line early in the preseason but are getting much healthier as the regular season approaches. Nevertheless, it won't hurt to keep 10 linemen since the last thing the Jags want is to deal with a rash of injuries in the trenches.
Working under the assumption that Patrick Mekari will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, both Chuma Edoga and the recently traded Daniel Faalele made the cut. Also, changes to the offensive line include Anton Harrison at left tackle, Emmanuel Pregnon at left guard, Ezra Cleveland at right guard, and Walker Little holding the fort for Cole Van Lanen at right tackle.
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