The Jacksonville Jaguars don't have to worry about the quarterback position with Trevor Lawrence firmly entrenched behind center. Heck, they could have a legitimate MVP candidate in place next season. Having said that, the rest of the quarterback depth chart could undergo changes in the upcoming months.
Although Jacksonville didn't use a single draft pick in the NFL Draft, it did sign Joey Aguilar as an undrafted free agent.
Aguilar has an uphill battle to stick around in Duval next season, but a prominent Jaguars voice argues that he's off to a promising start.
Joey Aguilar made a positive impression at Jaguars rookie minicamp
John Shipley of Sports Illustrated dropped a list of winners after rookie minicamp. He included Joey Aguilar, pointing out that he didn't look particularly great, but has intriguing developmental tools.
"While it is not as if Joey Aguilar was fantastic during practice and set the field ablaze with his right arm, it was worth noting that he does seem to have some positive momentum on his side," Shipley wrote. "Aguilar will have to be consistent over the course of the rest of the offseason process to truly push Carter Bradley, but he showed the arm talent and size at rookie minicamp and clearly has left somewhat of an impression on Liam Coen."
Aguilar knows how to navigate the pocket and does a good job of taking a step forward to negate the pass rush. On the other hand, he needs to work on anticipating his passes and throwing a tighter spiral in downfield shots. Nevertheless, the former Tennessee Vol has the size and adequate arm length to become a viable backup at the NFL level.
The Jags signed Carter Bradley last year after cutting ties with Seth Henigan. Bradley spent the season in the practice squad and was never promoted. He's currently the No. 3 on the depth chart behind Trevor Lawrence and Nick Mullens.
Bradley won't be competing for the backup job behind Lawrence anytime soon, so his best bet will be to either earn a roster spot if Jacksonville carries three quarterbacks (which is unlikely) or once again land in the practice squad. The issue with the latter scenario is that he'll need to fend off Aguilar.
The Jaguars could hold a QB battle between Joey Aguilar and Carter Bradley
The competition for the QB3 job rarely gets headlines, but that doesn't make it any less important. After all, the backup quarterback is one injury away from stepping onto the football field, and the last thing any club wants is to look for external options because it doesn't have options behind center.
Of course, Nick Mullens probably won't see the field often next season unless Trevor Lawrence gets hurt or the game is so out of reach that he gets mop-up duty. But if the worst is to come, Jacksonville will want to have a decent third-stringer at quarterback. That's where Carter Bradley and Joey Aguilar come in.
Bradley will have the edge by virtue of having spent the 2025 season in Jacksonville. Nevertheless, he will still need to compete for his job and cannot afford to take his foot off the gas pedal. Because if Aguilar builds a bit of consistency and flashes enough upside, the Jaguars will roll with him.
There's still a long way to go before roster cutdown day, but Joey Aguilar is a long shot to make the team. Having said that, he's off to a promising start. It will be up to him to continue making the most of his opportunities.
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