5 Jaguars players who could lose snaps to rookies in 2024

Tank Bigsby, running back

One of the biggest disappointments, at least when it comes to Jaguars football, was running back Tank Bigsy. A third-round pick out of Auburn, he was expected to become a hammer in the Jacksonville backfield and provide a 1-2 punch alongside Travis Etienne. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, with Bigsby experiencing growing pains.

By the end of 2023, the former Tiger was benched in favor of D'Ernest Johnson. The silver lining is that the Jaguars aren't ready to give up on him just yet. Head coach Doug Pederson expects to have a bigger impact and there's no reason to think he won't. But even if he's able to put his rookie struggles behind him, he could lose playing time to rookie Keilan Robinson.

A fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft, Robinson isn't built to carry the load full-time. He didn't get many chances at Texas but when he did, he made the most of them, breaking off for a few long runs. The Jags will try to look for ways to incorporate his big-play capability into their offense next season.

If Robinson does get a few carries in 2024 and makes the most of them, the Jaguars will want to incorporate him in the running game as much as possible. With Travis Etienne firmly entrenched at the top of the top of the depth chart, the only one who might be affected by Robinson's potential uptick in playing time might be Bigsby.

Trevis Gipson, defensive end

Defensive end Trevis Gipson could be a wild card in Jacksonville next season. While the Jaguars have an excellent pair of bookend pass rushers, the rest of their rotation is yet to be set. As things stand, Gipson is tentatively No. 3 but things could change in training camp.

Gipson, a fourth-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2020, had seven sacks in his sophomore campaign but only tallied three the following year. He was released before the start of the 2023 season and quickly latched onto the Tennessee Titans. Unfortunately, he wasn't much of a factor, registering just one sack. One of the reasons for his decline was that he was moved to outside linebacker.

In Ryan Nielsen's scheme, Gipson will play in a three-point stance, where he's at his best. That could help him enjoy a career revival but rookie Myles Cole will be lurking behind, waiting for his chance to crack the rotation.

Cole was raw coming out of Texas Tech but he's got the size and length to develop into a solid rotational piece. If he flashes in training camp, he could get ahead of Gipson on the depth chart.

Right now, Gipson has the edge by virtue of being the veteran, but Cole may have the bigger ceiling, which could incentivize the coaching staff to give him a considerable amount of snaps as a rookie.

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