3 surprise cuts the Jaguars could make before 53-man roster deadline

The Jacksonville Jaguars already started the process of trimming down the roster ahead of Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. Head coach Doug Pederson told the media following the win over the Miami Dolphins in the finale that they would hold a barbecue Sunday before making any moves.

As Pederson noted, the Jags started releasing players. Already, they've parted ways with wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr., running back Qadree Ollison, and fullback Derek Parish. Jacksonville could sign any of them to the practice squad but they would need to clear waivers first and there's no guarantee they will.

Jacksonville will continue making moves in the upcoming hours to meet the deadline. While some will be expected, there could be a few that won't be. With this in mind, here are three players that could be surprise cuts.

No. 3 Jaguars surprise cut before the 53-man roster deadline: Jeremiah Ledbetter, DL

The Jaguars did a good job of keeping their defensive front together. Besides giving long-term deals to Roy Robertson-Harris and DaVon Hamilton, they brought back Adam Gotsis on a one-year deal. on top of that, the Jags liked what they saw in Jeremiah Ledbetter last year and signed him to a future contract in January.

Ledbetter, a fourth-round pick by the Detroit Lions in 2018, seemed to have secured a roster spot after a productive offseason. In fact, Doug Pederson said that the team would lean on a combination of Ledbetter and Gotsis to fill in for Hamilton during his recovery from a non-football injury.

However, Hamilton is back in the building and if he's a full go, the Jaguars may not need to lean on Ledbetter as originally expected. All things considered, Ledbetter has a favorable chance of making the roster but it wouldn't be surprising to see him get the boot and later land in the practice squad (if he clears waivers of course).