Jaguars reaping early rewards of drafting Cam Little and commitment to special teams

The Jacksonville Jaguars showed out in their impressive 26-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL preseason. They had several outstanding performances in all three phases. Their special teams, in particular, stood out, proving that the Jags' heavy commitment to the unit this past offseason was a smart move.

Wide receiver Parker Washington had a 73-yard return in the first quarter. Sophomore running back Tank Bigsby had another one later in the game. Hat tip to special teams coordinator Heat Farwell for having his players ready and maximizing the new kickoff rules, which adopt the XFL model that incentivizes teams to return kickoffs.

Keep in mind that Washington isn't the team's main returner. That would be Devin Duvernay, who signed a two-year deal worth $8.5 million in free agency. Even though the former Texas Longhorn didn't have a return in the game, he did dive for a jaw-dropping receiving touchdown when he got snaps on offense.

But as electrifying as Duvernay can be, he's far from the only investment Jacksonville made on special teams. They also re-signed ace gunner Daniel Thomas to a two-year deal and used a fifth-round pick on another former Texas standout, Keilan Robinson.

Robinson was limited in training camp and didn't suit up for the preseason opener. However, Farwell was effusive when he talked about him," I was happy with what I saw in college. He's better than that.

It's also worth noting that the Jaguars have another capable returning in D'Ernest Johnson, so they should be thrilled about their options ahead of the regular season.

Cam Little is poised to have an impact of the Jaguars in 2024

The Jaguars have had a hard time finding consistency at kicker since the once-reliable Josh Lambo began to struggle in 2021. After several underwhelming outings, Jacksonville let him go but failed to bring in an adequate replacement. They went through some alternatives the past two years — some better than others — but ultimately came empty-handed. That's why they wasted no time taking Cam Little in the sixth round when he was still available.

Investing a draft pick in a kicker usually means the team expects him to win the job. In Little's case, he certainly had a compelling resume. His 82.8 completion rate at Arkansas was a school record. Similarly, the Oklahoma native was 7-of-11 in attempts from 50+ yards out, showing the had the leg strength to make long-distance field goals, something Jacksonville has been missing.

Little was set to compete with incumbent Riley Patterson for the kicker job, but the team's brass made a decision just a few days into training camp. He continued to deliver, and then the preseason came. The rookie went 3-of-4 against the Chiefs, nailing field goals of 40 and 47 yards. He did miss one from 62 yards out. It did have the strength to go through but the wind didn't help. It's fair to say that it would've been good under better weather conditions.

Following the win over the Chiefs, Doug Pederson said that he was pleased with Little's performance, pointing out that he wanted to see how he would manage the pressure of performing under the spotlight.

"It just shows the leg strength that Cam has and the reason we drafted him. He had some wind in his back in the one before half" Pederson said. "He works hard in practice at it. You can see he's not a big guy but he's got a really strong leg, powerful leg. I went into this game thinking I wanted to get him some opportunities to kick under this type of pressure, this kind of stage and he performed extremely well."

Pederson continued, "I mean, he was amped up to start the game. You saw those kickoffs go through the end zone, and he was excited, which rightfully so, but he'll learn from it. But he had a good night."

Here's Pederson's full exchange with the local media. His remarks about Little start around the 6:44 mark.

The Jaguars offense should be much better in 2024 with a healthy Trevor Lawrence behind center. The defense should see an improvement with Ryan Nielsen calling the shots. But don't sleep on the special teams, which could have as much of an impact as the other units next season.

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