How James Gladstone Boldly Reshaped Jaguars Roster

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been one of the busiest teams in the league since the start of the James Gladstone era. The new general manager hasn't shied away from making big moves to prepare his roster for the 2025 NFL season. The franchise has continued to tweak its personnel even after cut day.

Under Gladstone, the Jaguars have already made a handful of different trades. He swung a huge deal in his first draft, trading up with the Cleveland Browns to select the Colorado Buffaloes' two-way star Travis Hunter Jr. Jacksonville paid a hefty price, but if Hunter Jr. can truly contribute at a high level at both cornerback and wide receiver, it'll be well worth the ransom.

Gladstone didn't stop there. He made another trade in the middle of training camp, adding defensive tackle Khalen Saunders from the New Orleans Saints. Then, he flipped free agent signee Fred Johnson back to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for some extra draft capital. He just signed off on another deal to give the Jaguars another weapon in wide receiver Tim Patrick.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, General Manager James Gladstone, Head Coach Liam Coen — Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, right, speaks next to head coach Liam Coen during a press conference at Miller Electric Center Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars on leaving disappointing past behind

Clearly, James Gladstone isn't afraid to pull the trigger as the Jacksonville Jaguars' new general manager. With the way he's operated so far, it wouldn't be surprising to see him continue to configure the team to fit his vision throughout the 2025 NFL season.

One thing fans and analysts have noticed is that he's been steadily removing disappointing products from Jacksonville's previous regime. Gone are Trent Baalke's draft busts such as Chad Muma, Jordan Jefferson, and Tyler Lacy. According to Action News Jax's Daniel Griffis, 23 of the 53 players on the roster for this upcoming season are brand new, including the newly acquired Tim Patrick.

#Jaguars Finalize Roster w/ Major Turnover

*These numbers are from before the waiving of Austin Trammel and trade for Tim Patrick.*

My Story: https://t.co/26gUzKFTeg pic.twitter.com/5ZX7zuer74
— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) August 27, 2025

When asked about the turnover, Gladstone expressed that this wasn't a purposeful scrubbing of the bygone era, but an organic result of the team's talent evaluation:

"That's a cool question. I think it wasn't something you intentionally set out on saying, hey, we're going to turn over this percentage or this number of the roster. It was an organic approach.

I think, when you have high demands for players and expectations and standards, it can become easier to sift through who makes the most sense moving forward and who makes the most sense being here. Certainly excited about the group we got in the moment, but can't say it was with any intent to get to a certain number or percentage of roster turnover."

The evaluation won't stop with season kickoff. Every member of the Jaguars will have to bring their A-game into the year to ensure that they cement their place with this team.

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