The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the process of assessing their roster ahead of the regular season. They just waived wide receiver Louis Rees-Zammit and brought in offensive guard Ricky Lee. The Jags will continue to make moves in the upcoming weeks, and there's one in particular that everyone sees coming.
While there are several players making strong bids for either a featured role or a roster spot in 2025, it's abundantly clear that there won't be room for sophomore offensive tackle Javon Foster in Jacksonville next season.
A fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft, Foster was a healthy scratch at several points in his rookie campaign. So far, he hasn't done anything in training camp that makes you think he'll make the team. Sure, there haven't been any reports about him struggling, but there aren't any of him standing out either, and the last thing the former Mizzou Tiger is to be stuck in neutral, especially when you take into account that other offensive tackles are showing progress.
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Javon Foster is failing to keep up with other Jaguars offensive linemen
Left tackle Walker Little has gotten praised dating back to the offseason program, and head coach Liam Coen hasn't been shy to say that he's been pleased with him. Similarly, right tackle Anton Harrison has made strides after several inconsistent showings at OTAs.
Chuma Edoga, on the other hand, has made the most of Patrick Mekari and has gotten valuable playing time at guard. Couple that with the fact that he's also gotten reps at right tackle, and it's easy to picture him securing a roster spot. Also in the mix is free-agent acquisition Fred Johnson, who's had a solid offseason.
The one thing that could potentially help Javon Foster is that swing tackle Cole Van Lanen is missing time with an injury, and probably won't be available for the remainder of training camp. His absence could allow Foster to stick around a bit more.
However, Van Lanen should also have a favorable chance of making the roster after signing his one-year tender to return to Jacksonville in 2025. This is a way to say that it would just put off the inevitable for Foster.
And that's the thing. One thing the Jaguars have shown under general manager James Gladstone is that they're not afraid to cut ties with underperforming players that the past regime brought in. Already, they moved on from 2024 draft pick Keilan Robinson and 2024 prized free-agent acquisition Gabe Davis.
Based on James Gladstone's track record and the state of the roster ahead of the preseason, nobody will bat an eye if Javon Foster gets kicked to the curb next.