4 rookies who might not even play a snap for the Jaguars next season

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a roster filled with depth and talent. This bodes well for their chances of recapturing the AFC South in 2024. On the other hand, it isn't great news for a handful of first-year players vying for playing time.

See, the Jaguars were stacked at a handful of positions in the draft. This allowed them to target several intriguing developmental prospects in the later rounds. While these players could turn into steady contributors, they won't get to see the field often in 2024. These four, in particular, may not get a single snap.

DT Jordan Jefferson might not play a single snap for the Jaguars in 2024

The Jaguars beefed up their defensive line in the offseason and ended up keeping 11 bigs on cutdown day. As general manager Trent Baalke told the media, you can never have enough defensive linemen and Jacksonville's rotation looks great ahead of Week 1.

Arik Armstead and DaVon Hamilton are the starters inside. Roy Robertson-Harris and Maason Smith will be behind them. This will permit them to stay fresh and, in turn, be efficient throughout football games. Unfortunately, this means Jordan Jefferson will be lost in the shuffle.

Jefferson, a fourth-round selection, played 27 defensive snaps in the preseason and posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 73.9. The trouble is that he's farther in his development than fellow rookie Maason Smith, who's poised to be an integral piece of their rotation.

Simply put, there won't be enough snaps left for Jefferson in the Jags' deep rotation, so it won't be shocking to see him be a healthy scratch a handful of times in 2024.

OT Javon Foster might not play a single snap for the Jaguars in 2024

Jordan Jefferson wasn't the only player the Jaguars took in the fourth round of this year's draft. The other one was offensive tackle Javon Foster. While it might've made more sense for the front office to bolster their depth in the interior trenches, they believed they couldn't pass on the former Mizzou Tiger.

Foster has lots of upside but will need to keep working on his craft before he's pressed into action. The good news is that he can continue developing behind Cam Robinson, Walker Little, and Anton Harrison.

In case Robinson or Harrison miss time, Little can step into their respective place. Also in the mix is Cole Van Lanen, who's shown progress at right tackle. That leaves Foster as the fourth-string offensive tackle. For that reason, the Detroit, Michigan native won't see the field if the Jaguars manage to avoid the injury void next season.

CB Deantre Price might not play a single snap for the Jaguars in 2024

Contrary to the narrative the national media constructed during the offseason, cornerback wasn't a need for Jacksonville. In fact, they had somewhat of a logjam at the position heading into cutdown day. This made it challenging to release the likes of Tre Flowers, who dazzled in the preseason, or sophomore Christian Braswell, who showed notable improvement since the end of 2023.

The silver lining is that the Jags were able to sign both Flowers and Braswell to their practice squad. Moreover, they won't have to promote either one if their cornerback room stays healthy in 2024. The issue with being so loaded at the position is that rookie Deantre Prince won't get many opportunities.

Whereas Jarrian Jones is slated to have a big role next season, Prince is stuck at the bottom of the depth chart. Heck, the Jaguars may even choose to roll with the veteran Flowers or even Braswell if they experience injuries at cornerback, and why wouldn't they? After all, they kept both for a reason. They have the experience that Prince lacks, so why throw him into the wolves?

RB Keilan Robinson might not play a single snap for the Jaguars in 2024

The Jaguars have made a commitment to build a formidable special teams unit. Not only did they invest a sixth-round pick in kicker Cam Robinson, who should bring long-term stability to the position, but they've also signed players to their practice squad who could contribute in one way or another: John Rhys Plumlee, Matthew Jackson, and Louis Rees-Zammit.

If that wasn't enough the Jags drafted running back Keilan Robinson in the fifth round. At 5'10", the former Texas standout won't get much playing time unless injuries deplete their backfield. Then again, the team's brass brought him in because of his big-play capabilities in the return game.

The trouble is that the Jaguars already have three proven returners in two-time Pro Bowl nod Devin Duvernay, Parker Washington, and D'Ernest Johnson. Add the fact that Robinson is dealing with a toe injury and will miss time, and it's hard to see him contributing as a rookie.

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