JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars begin training camp in the first year of the Liam Coen regime later this month. News4JAX sports reporters Jamal St. Cyr and Justin Barney take a shot at predicting the 53-man roster for the upcoming season. What did we change from our initial 53-man projections last May? Take a look at those here.
Quarterback
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| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Trevor Lawrence | Trevor Lawrence |
| Nick Mullens | Nick Mullens |
Jamal’s thoughts: No change here for me, Lock it in.
Justin’s thoughts: No surprises. Lawrence needs to be quite a bit better than he’s been the last year and a half. I do have a cautious optimism that things will finally click for Lawrence this year.
Running back
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Le’Quint Allen Jr. | Le’Quint Allen Jr. |
| Tank Bigsby | Tank Bigsby |
| Travis Etienne | Travis Etienne |
| Bhayshul Tuten | Bhayshul Tuten |
Jamal’s thoughts: I need to make up some ground on Justin but I can’t do it here; these four are locks so I’ll have to catch up elsewhere.
Justin’s thoughts: The bigger question is who does the coaching staff think is the featured back, Bigsby or Etienne? Etienne has to shake off a bad 2024 season and showcase the player he was in 2022 and ‘23.
Tight end
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Hunter Long | Hunter Long |
| Johnny Mundt | Johnny Mundt |
| Brenton Strange | Brenton Strange |
Jamal’s thoughts: Make this three in a row with no changes.
Justin’s thoughts: This is a weak position group because we just haven’t seen enough from Strange in his two seasons. But he’s got a major opportunity. I shaved UDFA John Copenhaver off from my initial 53. I think Jacksonville will add a fourth tight end somewhere. Maybe it’s Copenhaver or maybe they give Shawn Bowman a chance. This unit needs another pass catcher.
Wide receiver
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Dyami Brown | Dyami Brown |
| Joshua Cephus | Travis Hunter |
| Eli Pancol (UDFA) | Eli Pancol (UDFA) |
| Brian Thomas Jr. | Brian Thomas Jr. |
| Parker Washington | Parker Washington |
Jamal’s thoughts: The top of the receiver room is easy. The bottom is more difficult. Right now, I have Cephus and Pancol getting on the roster. Both had really good offseasons. They are the two lead dogs, but Dorian Singer is right behind them.
Justin’s thoughts: Had a whiff on my first 53 with Gabe Davis making it, but the team cleaned up that mistake with a release. Pancol has been a guy I’ve liked from the outset. He’s got a great story. Hunter will be primarily a receiver, so he’s in this position group for me.
Athlete
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Travis Hunter | N/A |
Jamal’s thoughts: I still like listing him as an athlete. Maybe that is the “CFB 26″ player in me, but Hunter is going to play receiver and cornerback. Justin and I differ on how much he will play on defense but I still say he is going to be at corner a ton this season.
Offensive line
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Ezra Cleveland | Ezra Cleveland |
| Chuma Edoga | Chuma Edoga |
| Robert Hainsey | Robert Hainsey |
| Anton Harrison | Anton Harrison |
| Fred Johnson | Fred Johnson |
| Walker Little | Walker Little |
| Patrick Mekari | Patrick Mekari |
| Wyatt Milum | Wyatt Milum |
| Jonah Monheim | Jonah Monheim |
| Cole Van Lanen | Cole Van Lanen |
Jamal’s thoughts: I had to make a swap. My first go around, I had Cooper Hodges on the roster. But he got waived because of injury, so Hodges he is on the physically unable to perform list. So, that opened up a spot. I have Van Lanen getting on the 53 in the O-line room now.
Justin’s thoughts: I added veteran Fred Johnson and swapped him for UDFA Sal Wormley. Johnson makes sense as a veteran add with plenty of starting experience. So difficult to gauge the OL during the offseason without pads on. Could Luke Fortner play well enough to push Monheim to the practice squad? Harrison, a first-round pick in 2023, is being pushed by Edoga at right tackle.
Defensive line
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Arik Armstead | Arik Armstead |
| DaVon Hamilton | DaVon Hamilton |
| Josh Hines-Allen | Josh Hines-Allen |
| Jordan Jefferson | Jordan Jefferson |
| Eli Mostaert | Tyler Lacy |
| Emmanuel Ogbah | Emmanuel Ogbah |
| Maason Smith | Maason Smith |
| Dawuane Smoot | Dawuane Smoot |
| Travon Walker | Travon Walker |
Jamal’s thoughts: Lock in Smoot. He wasn’t on the roster the last time we did this. That’s my only change here. Mostaert is on the bubble, but I still lean him for the final spot in the room.
Justin’s thoughts: I added Smoot to my original 53. He signed late in the offseason program. Love bringing him back on a value contract for edge depth.
Linebacker
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Jack Kiser | Jack Kiser |
| Dennis Gardeck | Dennis Gardeck |
| Devin Lloyd | Devin Lloyd |
| Jalen McLeod | Jalen McLeod |
| Ventrell Miller | Ventrell Miller |
| Foye Oluokun | Chad Muma |
| N/A | Foye Oluokun |
Jamal’s thoughts: Another vet who was a late add to the roster in Gardeck. If he is healthy, he will be on the roster. So I swapped him for Combs. The rest of the room is simple but that one spot could be in flux. Health and special teams will be in play.
Justin’s thoughts: The change for me is adding Gardeck, who was signed late in the offseason program. He has 17 sacks in seven seasons and provides serious rush reinforcements. Rookies Kiser and McLeod are locks.
Cornerback
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Montaric Brown | Montaric Brown |
| Tyson Campbell | Tyson Campbell |
| Jarrian Jones | Jarrian Jones |
| Jourdan Lewis | Jourdan Lewis |
| Aydan White (UDFA) | Aydan White (UDFA) |
Jamal’s thoughts: White made some waves during the offseason as a guy who could be in play to get a spot on the roster. I made a slight swap with one less corner on the roster since I’m expecting Hunter to play a bunch of DB snaps.
Justin’s thoughts: Brown was my first guy off my initial 53, but I’m bringing him back over Jabbar Muhammad.
Safety
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Rayuan Lane III | Rayuan Lane III |
| Eric Murray | Eric Murray |
| Caleb Ransaw | Caleb Ransaw |
| Darnell Savage | Darnell Savage |
| Andrew Wingard | Andrew Wingard |
Jamal’s thoughts: Safety is one of the toughest spots on the roster. A ton of talent that is fighting for a few spots. I went light at corner to get an extra safety on the team. I didn’t have Wingard crack it the first time but that was a miss on my part, but I have fixed it.
Justin’s thoughts: My same five from my initial 53. I could see stretching to six here. In that case, I’d lean Daniel Thomas or Antonio Johnson, but likely Thomas. Wingard remains one of my favorite players in terms of his ability to not only make the roster but perform when he’s called on.
Specialists
| Jamal | Justin |
|---|---|
| Logan Cooke | Logan Cooke |
| Cam Little | Cam Little |
| Ross Matiscik | Ross Matiscik |
Jamal’s thoughts: Lock it in.
Justin’s thoughts: Cooke just signed a contract extension. Matiscik is a Pro Bowler. And Little was excellent as a rookie. Great unit.
