The Jacksonville Jaguars are moving on to the next stage of the NFL calendar. After two weeks of practice in training camp, they're turning their attention to the preseason.
The Jags will face off against the New Orleans Saints in the opener. They'll continue with the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 and play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the finale. It's worth noting that they'll hold joint practices with all three opponents. This will give their first and second team valuable reps. At the same time, the team's brass will be able to assess the roster and assemble the bottom half of the depth chart.
Jacksonville should have more or less an idea of how the roster will look come Week 1, but a few spots are yet to be defined. Based on how things are unfolding, here's a 53-man roster projection.
Jaguars projected 53-man roster offense (24)
Quarterbacks (2): Trevor Lawrence, Nick Mullens
While Carter Bradley has flashed at times, he'll most likely land on the practice squad. The Jaguars carried two quarterbacks last year. If they need Bradley at some point of the season, they can promote him to the active roster on game day.
It will also be interesting to see whether Jacksonville stashes Joey Aguilar on the practice squad to keep developing him.
Running backs (4): LeQuint Allen Jr., Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Ameer Abdullah
Here comes the first surprise: the first three spots are earmarked for Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and LeQuint Allen. Although I saw J'Mari Taylor getting the fourth slot, Ammer Abdullah has done enough in training camp to potentially sneak into the initial 53-man roster.
Abdullah is a heck of a pass-catcher out of the backfield and can play special teams. He would be able to contribute right out of the gate, while Taylor may need to keep honing his skills.
Wide receivers (5): Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, CJ Williams, Josh Cameron, Jakobi Meyers
Unlike last year, when the Jaguars had no idea who'd be their WR5, they should have a clear idea of how the wide receiver corps will look. Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, and Jakobi Meyers are guaranteed to make the roster.
CJ Williams and Josh Cameron have made a strong impression dating back to the offseason program. With so much talent at the position, Austin Trammell will be the victim of the numbers game.
Tight end (3): Nate Boerkircher, Brenton Strange, Tanner Koziol
Early in 2026, Quintin Morris seemed like a lock to make the team after signing a new one-year deal. However, his future was quickly in doubt when Jacksonville drafted Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol.
Already, the coaching staff is acclimating Boerkircher and Koziol, giving both of them a big workload. The Jags need to devote more roster spots to other positions, so it shouldn't be shocking if they keep just three tight ends, and Morris or Hunter Long end up on the practice squad.
Offensive linemen (10): Wyatt Milum, Patrick Mekari, Cole Van Lanen, Anton Harrison, Ezra Cleveland, Walker Little, Chuma Edoga, Jonah Monheim, Robert Hainsay, Emmanuel Pregnon
Here comes the second unexpected veteran. The Jaguars are dealing with injuries on the offensive line, so they'll need as many reinforcements as they can. Currently, they're missing Cole Van Lanen, Walker Little, Patrick Mekari, and Emmanuel Pregnon. All of them should be back to start the season, but Jacksonville will need insurance in case the group suffers further injuries.
That gives Chuma Edoga the lifeline he needs to stick around. He appeared to be a cap casualty earlier this year, but he would provide much-needed insurance in the trenches. Sure, the veteran hog molly struggled last year, but the Jags won't find anyone better on the waiver wire, so he stays.
Jaguars projected 53-man roster defense (26)
Defensive tackles (5): Arik Armstead, DaVon Hamilton, Ruke Orhorhoro, Albert Regis, Matt Dickerson
Here comes the third surprise: The Jaguars bolstered the interior defensive line when they traded for Ruke Orhorhoro and later drafted Albert Regis. Both of them have shown promise throughout training camp, but Matt Dickerson has gotten first-team reps when Arik Armstead takes a day off.
Dickerson signed with the Jags last year and could have been the odd man out after Regis and Orhorhoro arrived. However, the Jags like him, so he isn't going anywhere.
Defensive ends (6): Travon Walker, Josh Hines-Allen, Zach Durfee, B.J. Green II, Danny Striggow, Wesley Williams
Heading into training camp, the Jaguars seemingly had a void in their pass rush, but that's probably not the case anymore, with B.J. Green II and rookie Zach Durfee turning heads in the offseason. Green should be the No. 3 pass rusher behind Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen, but both Durfee and Danny Striggow will be rotational pieces.
Wesley Williams will also get the nod but will be stuck at the bottom of the depth chart, so he may not get much playing time on defense.
Linebackers (5): Foyesade Olukoun, Ventrell Miller, Branson Combs, Jalen McLeod, Dennis Gardeck
Because the Jaguars frequently run a nickel formation as their base defense, they don't have to allocate that many spots at linebacker. Ventrell Miller is competing with Branson Combs for the starting job next to Foyesade Oluokun, so all three will make the cut. Dennis Gardeck is also a lock, since he's the third linebacker on the base defense.
That leaves the last roster spot for Jalen McLeon, who can rush the quarterback from a standup position.
Cornerbacks (5): Travis Hunter, Montaric Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Jarrian Jones, Jabbar Muhammad
The one group the Jaguars don't have to worry about is cornerback. Travis Hunter and Montaric Brown will start in the boundaries, while Jourdan Lewis will be the primary nickel. Jarrian Jones should also get playing time in the slot but could fill in for Hunter if he needs to catch his breath.
Jabbar Muhammad has shown substantial growth in the offseason and later training camp, so it's hard to see him not making the cut. Christian Braswell, Preston Hodge, and Devon Marshall are practice squad candidates.
Safety (5): Eric Murray, Antonio Johnson, Rayuan Lane III, Caleb Ransaw, Jalen Huskey
Like their cornerback group, the Jags' safety room looks in good shape. Eric Murray and Antonio Johnson are the starters, leaving Rayuan Lane III and Caleb Ransaw as the primary backups. Nobody will bat an eye if Jalne Huskey is inactives at times next season.
Jaguars projected 53-man roster special teams (3)
Kicker Cam Little, Punter Logan Cooke, and long snapper Ross Matiscik
These three wil take care of the special teams for the foreseeable future.
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