Jaguars Vs. Raiders: 5 Things to Watch in Hall of Fame Game
The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to kick off the 2022 preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night, and even without Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne there will be a number of storylines and players to watch.
It is unclear which veterans and starters will play and for how long, but Thursday's Hall of Fame game will still be an important night for head coach Doug Pederson and his locker room.
“One hundred percent. It's part of their job in these games. I don't care if they play a series, and they come out, they're still going to be engaged and really help the young players and just be another set of eyes for them," Pederson said on Tuesday about keeping veterans engaged.
"I've been there, as a young quarterback in this league, and you want a veteran guy that when you come off the field can kind of show you some of the things that are going on. I want our guys to do that, and because they stay engaged as well, mentally.”
So, who and what will we be watching on Thursday? We break it down below.
The kicker battle
There hasn't been another position battle on the roster that has seen more ups and downs than the kicker battle. The Jaguars already waived one kicker they brought to camp in rookie Andrew Mevis, who had a strong spring before a series of practices with wild misses led to his release.
"It's unfortunate sometimes with young guys and you hate to see it," Pederson said on Sunday. "Sometimes they put a little bit too much pressure on themselves and just to try to do things right and compete and just kind of learn to relax and play., I know things are going to happen, and it's unfortunate but wish him well and hopefully we'll see him again down the road."
The Jaguars have since added Elliott Fry to the kicker battle and have seen the veteran NFL and former AAF kicker have his moments in camp, while likely front-runner Ryan Santoso has been perfect on his last eight kicks in practice. A game situation is clearly different, though, making tonight a big chance to evaluate both options.
How the young running backs play
The Jaguars know who their top two running backs are going to be in Travis Etienne and James Robinson, but what about behind them? Doug Pederson has shown a willingness to use multiple running backs on Sundays in the past, so finding a quality third running back is important. For the Jaguars, it seems that comes down to fifth-round rookie running back Snoop Conner and 2019 fifth-rounder Ryquell Armstead.
Conner got first reps with the offense during Tuesday's practice, but it seems fair to assume both he and Armstead will get a chance to show what they can do with extended opportunities. There won't be many weeks where they will not have both Etienne and Robinson in front of them, after all. How each plays could go a long way toward determining who the No. 3 back is.
Which rookies are given a lot of run?
The Jaguars have made it clear they are going to rely heavily on their 2022 draft class. Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd and Luke Fortner are all projected starters, while Chad Muma, Snoop Conner and Montaric Brown all look like they could be on the second-team units. But which rookies are going to play the most on Thursday night as the Jaguars get their first extended look at their class?
Walker should be expected to play some, but not any extensive amount of reps. Lloyd, meanwhile, has not practiced all camp with a hamstring injury, while Fortner can likely be expected to be in for as long as some of the other starting offense is on the field. As for the other picks, it can likely be expected that each gets an extended period of snaps, especially Muma and Brown with the second-team defense. We might not get a full reveal of the class in terms of playing time, but each player sans Lloyd should make an apperance.
First glimpses at Press Taylor, Mike Caldwell as coordinators
The preseason is famously vanilla in terms of scheme, so we won't get a full look at defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell's plans for his 3-4 front or what Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor's offensive identity is. We do get a chance to see Caldwell and Taylor as coordinators in a game setting for the first time though, which should be interesting to monitor in terms of how each unit operates.
“It's just as important for us as it is for the players. Organization is everything and where the coordinators want to position coaches on game day, either down or up. It’s one thing with me, especially on offense, and being a play caller, and doing all that, there's got to be some great organization and great communication," Pederson said on Tuesday.
"The guy's have to be in the right spot. Guys have game day responsibilities, where their eyes are, and making sure we have all the right information between series and halftime and all of that. These are just as important to us as a staff too. It's been a while since we've all done it, for me, especially. Same way on defense. Mike, being a first-time coordinator and calling defenses and again, the organization on defense and just where guys are going to be and the information that we can get.”
So no, Thursday won't make or break either Taylor or Caldwell, but it will give us an important look at each coach and their ability to organize and communicate in their first games as coordinators.
Which wide receivers stand out
It shouldn't be expected for Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Marvin Jones to play much, if at all, on Thursday night. The same could likely go for Laviska Shenault and Laquon Treadwell, while Jamal Agnew clearly won't play as he works his way back toward 100%. As a result, this gives a few different Jaguars a chance to stand out in their place.
The three biggest names to watch based on training camp performance thus far are Lujuan Winningham, Tim Jones and Jeff Cotton Jr., each of whom has formed a good connection with Jake Luton at times. The three have the skill sets to warrant consideration for the 53-man roster and Thursday is a great chance to see them in game situations.
Other receivers who should be expected to play a decent amount on Thursday and get some meaningful looks are Marvin Hall, Kevin Austin Jr., and Willie Johnson. They are longer shots to make the roster, but Hall and Johnson are dynamic wideouts who could create some big plays, while Austin could prove to play well under the lights as opposed to in practice.
