Jaguars Training Camp: 3 Observations on First Special Teams Depth Chart
The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially put in seven training camp practices under new head coach Doug Pederson, preparing them for Thursday night's Hall of Fame game against Las Vegas and putting them officially in the dog days of summer.
Along with the completion of the first week of camp comes the release of the team's first depth charts for the offense, defense and special teams. While nothing is set in stone, this gives us a good chance to look at where the Jaguars' roster is at entering the Raiders game.
"It's going to be exciting just to get the team on the field, you know, against another opponent. And then for the first time for all of us with the coaches and new players and really the whole team, so we're looking forward to that," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Sunday.
"I haven't set any parameters yet on how much playing time people are going to get. (We're going to) be as fair especially for the young guys, try to get as many of the young guys in the game as I can. But I'll make those determinations. We still got a couple days here left to practice.”
So, what stands out about the Jaguars' first offensive depth chart? We break it down below.
Ryan Santoso over Elliott Fry makes sense for now
The Jaguars aren't going to make a decision on their kicker situation anytime soon. That is what the preseason is for, after all, so take the depth chart with a grain of salt to some extent here. Still, the fact the Jaguars named Santoso the unofficial starter as opposed to having a "Santoso or Fry" situation is notable. If either kicker is going to get the nod in Week 1, it looks like Santoso is the most likely option.
The Jaguars are going to give both Santoso and Fry a chance to win the job in the preseason, but Santoso looks like he is in a good groove right now. He has made all eight of his field goal attempts in the last few practices, while he is still getting all of the Jaguars' first reps at kicker. If the Jaguars had to choose a kicker today, Santoso seems like the most likely option.
"Honestly, it's still young, it's still early in camp. In these games, we're going to try to create some situations where there's a little more pressure involved that put these two guys under and I think both guys will respond," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said on Tuesday. "It usually works itself out as camp goes. Most of the battles do, as we go, but it'll be fun to watch them in these games and try to put them in some tough situations.”
Jamal Agnew's arrow is pointing up
Jamal Agnew hasn't practiced fully quite yet, but it does say a lot that he is still listed as the team's top returner despite still technically recovering from last year's season-ending hip injury. He has still returned kicks and punts in practice, so his arrow continues to point up.
With Agnew set to get even more team work over the next few practices and the fact that he is first on the depth chart, it is clear Agnew should be expected to be ready for Week 1's bout against the Washington Commanders. Agnew is on track to return to the field, and this is another piece of evidence to show so.
"He’s getting close. I'm really hoping next week as we get ready for the Cleveland game, he gets some meaningful time in some of the team settings," Pederson said on Tuesday. "I'm big about really protecting these guys that have these types of injuries and that making sure they're 100% healthy before we put them out there.”
Christian Kirk is the other receiver to watch as a special teams option
While there was plenty of attention given to Laviska Shenault being given some run at punt and kick returning during the spring practices, he doesn't appear to be the non-Agnew receiver the Jaguars would turn if they needed a return man. Instead, it appears the Jaguars would first turn to big-money slot receiver Christian Kirk.
Kirk is listed as a second-team return man, while Shenault isn't on the depth chart. This isn't to say Shenault would never get a chance to return punts, but Kirk gets the same amount of reps and opportunities in practice as Shenault in terms of returning, so him being ahead of Shenault in the depth chart seems notable.
