Jaguars 53-Man Roster Prediction: Final Projections Ahead of Final Cuts
The time is finally upon us. After months of debate leading up to weeks of fiercely competitive practices, the Jacksonville Jaguars' training camp has drawn to a close and the team is prepared to make its final cuts to 53.
Each NFL team has until 4 p.m. eastern on Saturday to cut down their active rosters from 80 to 53. With the deadline quickly approaching, we have opted to deliver our final projections for who makes the Jaguars roster, and who is sitting on the outside looking in.
So, how do we the roster shaking out, and whose roster spot could be in jeopardy? We examine here.
Quarterbacks (3): Gardner Minshew II, Mike Glennon, Jake Luton.
Gardner Minshew's place on this list deserves no explanation. We opted to project Mike Glennon as the team's No. 2 quarterback due to the Jaguars' coaching staff's praise for his experience throughout the offseason and training camp. That makes the final spot come down to rookie quarterback Jake Luton and Josh Dobbs, and we think the Jaguars would rather risk Dobbs signing elsewhere than letting Luton hit the waiver wire and potentially be snatched up by a different team.
Running backs (5): Ryquell Armstead, Devine Ozigbo, Chris Thompson, James Robinson, Bruce Miller (fullback).
Ryquell Armstead has hardly practiced in training camp due to being on the Reserve/COVID-19 list for the first few weeks and then missing the last several practices with an illness which is not Covid-related. Still, we think he makes the squad and stays off of injured reserve for now. Undrafted free agent James Robinson wins a spot on the roster over fellow undrafted rookie Nathan Cottrell thanks to his vision and bruising running style. Bruce Miller is on the roster bubble in our eyes, but we think the Jaguars keep him due to his versatility at being able to take snaps at both fullback and tight end. It was hard to figure out what this group was going to look like before Leonard Fournette was released, but now it is one of the easier positions to project. Cottrell should land on the practice squad.
Offensive line (8): Cam Robinson, Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, A.J. Cann, Jawaan Taylor, Will Richardson, Tyler Shatley, Ben Bartch.
Jacksonville entered last season with nine offensive linemen, but we see the team doing things differently this year due to the need to take an extra quarterback due to COVID-19, along with strengths at other positions. Each of these eight offensive linemen should be seen as locks for the roster, though Austin Pleasants or Garrett McGhin make sense as reserve linemen if the Jaguars truly want to keep 9, but neither has been particularly impressive in camp. Jacksonville could, however, look to keep nine offensive lineman as a precaution for COVID-19 related situations, but we are going with out gut and projecting eight.
Wide receivers (6): DJ Chark, Laviska Shenault, Chris Conley, Keelan Cole, Collin Johnson, Terry Godwin.
While Chris Conley and Keelan Cole are both entering contract years, we see them as safer to make the roster than 2017 fourth-round pick Dede Westbrook. Westbrook has the draft pedigree and experience in the slot over both, but he has been banged up for most of training camp with a shoulder injury, and he wasn't exactly making a big impact before then. Meanwhile, Cole, Collin Johnson and Terry Godwin have all been standouts of camp. If the Jaguars are truly going all in on the mantra that they are only judging what happens on the field now, then I am not sure there is a strong argument to keep Westbrook on the final roster. Maybe the Jaguars could look to trade Westbrook before final cuts, but he is our pick for this year's "surprise cut".
Tight end (3): Tyler Eifert, Tyler Davis, James O'Shaughnessy.
This could technically count as four tight ends with Bruce Miller. We think the Jaguars will try to keep Matt Flanagan and Ben Ellefson are on the practice squad, but all of Tyler Eifert, Tyler Davis and James O'Shaughnessy should be locks, especially with Josh Oliver on injured reserve. If the Jaguars were to keep four actual tight ends, Ellefson would be the most logical option.
Defensive line (6): Taven Bryan, Timmy Jernigan, DaVon Hamilton, Abry Jones, Carl Davis Jr., Adam Gotsis.
This isn't exactly a deep group, but these have been six of the seven best interior defensive linemen in camp for the Jaguars. Carl Davis Jr. has had a better camp than Caraun Reid, but he is suspended for the first four games of the 2020 season, so the Jaguars could look to instead field the players who are most presently available. But, we will ultimately pick Davis, even if his suspension would leave the Jaguars in a bit of a bind unless the team was already planning to make him a healthy scratch. Adam Gotsis has flashed throughout camp and earns a spot over Josh Mauro here. Doug Costin makes a lot of sense for the practice squad, but the numbers just didn't work out in his favor here.
EDGE (3): Josh Allen, K'Lavon Chaisson, Dawuane Smoot.
With Yannick Ngakoue and Lerentee McCray both not playing for the Jaguars in 2019, the Jaguars' only true defensive ends are Josh Allen, K'Lavon Chaisson and Dawuane Smoot. Allen is Jacksonville's top defender while Chaisson was the No. 20 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft. Smoot is likely the team's top rotational option behind Allen and Chaisson, but he could see reps at big end as well. Frankly, the Jaguars don't even have any true defensive ends on their roster to place on the practice squad -- just these three who will make the active roster.
Linebacker (6): Myles Jack, Joe Schobert, Cassius Marsh, Shaquille Quarterman, Leon Jacobs, Nate Evans.
This one is fairly straightforward, but it also depends on the health of Quincy Williams. Myles Jack and Joe Schobert are locked in as starters, while Leon Jacobs and Cassius Marsh have been in a feirce battle for the strong side linebacker position. Shaquille Quarterman makes it after spending all of training camp calling the plays and signals for the second-team defense during his first rookie camp. The final spot, in our eyes, comes down to Williams and undrafted free agent Nate Evans, who has impressed at times in camp. Williams had surgery for a core muscle injury in August and has still not returned to practice, so the Jaguars could always opt to place him on injured reserve to start the season.
Cornerback (6): CJ Henderson, Tre Herndon, D.J. Hayden, Josiah Scott, Chris Claybrooks, Luq Barcoo
This is a ... unique cornerback room to say the least. It features four rookies, an absolutely staggering figure, and third-year cornerback Tre Herndon. D.J. Hayden, an eighth-year veteran, is the obvious elder of the room, but it doesn't change the fact that the Jaguars are likely going to have one of the youngest cornerback groups in team history this year. Veteran cornerback Tramaine Brock has an obvious veteran presence, but he has had a lot of struggles throughout camp and hasn't earned a spot over either Luq Barcoo or Josiah Scott. Claybrooks is a bit rough around the edges, but he has a lot of special teams value that should help him stick.
Safety (4): Josh Jones, Jarrod Wilson, Andrew Wingard, Daniel Thomas
This is a tough one because the Jaguars legitimately have four backup safeties who have arguments to make to stick on the roster. Daniel Thomas has dealt with a hamstring injury at times in camp, but we think the Jaguars would rather keep him on the active roster and Brandon Watson and J.R. Reed on the practice squad. In the event Thomas is hurt enough to land on injured reserve, however, we think Watson would earn the final slot in the safety room after converting to safety from cornerback.
Specialists (3) Josh Lambo, Logan Cooke, Matt Orzech
Josh Lambo and Logan Cooke are two of the best in the NFL at their respected positions. The Jaguars don't have to worry about their special teams units.
Any disagreements with our projection, or does it look just right? Let us know in the comments below!
