4 veterans who will fail to make the Jacksonville Jaguars Week 1 roster

The Jacksonville Jaguars have added lots of youth to the roster the past two years, having drafted a combined 22 players in that span. This doesn't bode well for a handful of veterans ahead of the 2024 season.

While the Jags don't have many starting jobs up for grabs, a handful of roster spots will be open for competition. But given how stacked the team is at their respective position groups, these four veterans won't probably be on the team in the opener.

Tim Jones won't be on the Jaguars roster come Week 1

The Jaguars poured significant resources into the wide receiver corps in the offseason. While they lost Calvin Ridley to the Tennessee Titans, they inked Gabe Davis and Devin Duvernay in the open market and later drafted Brian Thomas Jr. 23rd overall. On top of that, the top brass signed Joshua Cephus once the draft ended.

Davis, Duvernay, and Thomas will join Christian Kirk, who's motivated to remind everyone the kind of player he was before a core injury cut his 2023 season short. The Jags have most certainly earmarked four roster spots for them. Sophomore Parker Washington will probably get the fifth, leaving Cephus to compete with former undrafted free agents Tim Jones and Elijah Cooks for the last spot. Out of the three, Jones could be the victim of the numbers game.

An undrafted free agent in 2021, the former Southern Mississippi Golden Eagle spent his rookie season on the Jaguars practice squad. He made the roster the following year due to an impressive outing in the preseason. However, he got minimal playing time in 2022, catching a measly three catches for 30 yards with no touchdowns.

Jones once again made the team last year and caught 11 receptions for 83 yards. In his defense, he wasn't going to get a big workload because he was usually the fifth or sixth receiving option. That said, the Jaguars may want to look for a receiver with a higher ceiling. Either Cooks or Cephus could be it, leaving Jones on the outside looking in.

Adam Gotsis won't be on the Jaguars roster come Week 1

The Jaguars struggled to defend the run or consistently bring the heat last year despite the presence of booking pass rushers Josh Allen and Travon Walker. One reason was their lack of depth in the interior. With DaVon Hamilton missing a good portion of the 2023 season, Adam Gotsis and Jeremiah Ledbetter saw their roles increase.

This past offseason, the front office beefed up the defensive front. Besides signing Arik Armstead in free agency, they used a pair of draft selections on Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson. With sophomore Tyler Lacy also in the mix, Gotsis may have an uphill battle to make the roster.

Gotsis, a second-round pick in 2016 by the Denver Broncos, joined the Jags in 2020 and has gone on to appear in 69 games with 26 starts, registering 5.5 sacks and 109 the past four seasons. While the former Georgia Tech Yellowjacket has been a dependable rotational piece, keeping him around could make it difficult for the youngsters to get playing time.

When you factor in that the Jaguars can create $1.4 million in space with just $125,000 in dead money if they release Gotsis, it may not make much sense to give him a roster spot.

Tyler Shatley won't be on the Jaguars roster come Week 1

All good things must come to an end, and that will eventually be true for Tyler Shatley's stint with the Jags. An undrafted free agent in 2014, he's the longest-tenured player on the roster right now. He became a free agent last March but re-signed before the draft. The former Clemson Tiger hardly saw the field early in his career, making 15 starts in his first six seasons. However, he's started 36 games the past four years.

And while there's merit in playing 145 games, the fourth-most in team history, Shatley wasn't very good last year. He did play because injuries pressed him into action but he struggled, posting a dreadful Pro Football Focus overall grade of 47.5.

With Cooper Hodges back at full strength after missing his rookie year, and Luke Fortner tentatively serving as the primary backup at center, Shatley may not make the team's initial 53-man roster. He could still land in the practice squad, and the team could promote him in case they need him.

After all, Jacksonville may be better off giving that roster spot to a younger player with a higher ceiling (e.g. Hodges, Fortner).

C.J. Beathard won't be on the Jaguars roster come Week 1

After seeing Trevor Lawrence deal with injuries in 2023, the Jaguars may've felt the need to upgrade their quarterback room, so they traded for Mac Jones in the offseason. C.J. Beathard has been their top backup at the position the past three years, but the team's brass probably realized that they won't get many wins if he's thrust into action. Hence, the decision to trade for Jones.

Even though the former Alabama standout was a first-round selection, Lawrence is the unquestioned starter. Jones will tentatively be the second-string quarterback, which could leave Beathard as the odd man out. This looks like a feasible scenario when you consider that Jacksonville has carried just two signal-callers on the roster since Doug Pederson became the head coach in 2022.

The prospect of keeping a third quarterback in the regular season is alluring but the Jaguars could give that roster spot to someone who can contribute week in and week out. Beathard won't be that player.

Releasing the former Iowa Hawkeye would only create $500,000 in dead money. The Jaguars could cut him before the start of the season and sign him to the practice squad. They could then protect him to ensure other clubs don't claim him. And if they ever need Beathard, they could simply elevate him to the active roster.

More Jaguars analysis here: