Jaguars 53-Man Roster Projection: Who Joins Trevor Lawrence and Calvin Ridley in 2023?

Who do we have making the cut when it comes to the Jaguars' first 53-man roster of 2023?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a little over 24 hours away from knowing exactly what kind of team they will have in 2023. 

With the Jaguars sitting at No. 24 in the waiver wire, it seems highly unlikely that the Jaguars will be adding many players after Tuesday's 4 p.m. cut deadline. Instead, the Jaguars will likely be releasing several players who will be claimed on waivers, a sign of how far the franchise has come in the last two seasons. 

With that in mind, it is a yearly practice to project exactly what the first 53-man roster will look like. And with the preseason officially over and cuts looming, we can shift our focus in that direction.

It is also worth remembering that two players won't be on this list: offensive tackle Cam Robinson (suspension) and defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot (PUP). Neither will count toward the team's 53-man roster until they return, which will be four games for Robinson and at least four games for Smoot. Once they return, the Jaguars will have to drop somebody to fit them on the roster.

With this in mind, here is our official 53-man roster prediction. 

QB (2): Trevor Lawrence; C.J. Beathard

Nathan Rourke has been a nice preseason story, but the question here is who would be the better backup for Trevor Lawrence. The answer there is obviously C.J. Beathard. Rourke makes sense for the practice squad since the new quarterback rule likely wouldn't apply here. 

RB (3): Travis Etienne; Tank Bigsby; D'Ernest Johnson

JaMycal Hasty played a lot of special teams snaps last season and could maybe still find a role there, but the preseason saw him seemingly lose both No. 3 running back and first-team special teams snaps to D'Ernest Johnson. Former fifth-rounder Snoop Conner is firmly outside the bubble.

TE (4): Evan Engram; Brenton Strange; Luke Farrell; Gerrit Prince

No surprises here. Jaguars don't have much intrigue at tight end after the top four, with each of their top three tight ends expected to play a good bit this year.

WR (6): Calvin Ridley; Christian Kirk; Zay Jones; Jamal Agnew; Parker Washington; Tim Jones

Special teams value likely helped Tim Jones and Parker Washington win the final two receiver spots. Considering what Jones does as a blocker and on special teams, it makes more sense to roster him than an upside receiver. Neither would be factors in the passing game, so keep te player who can help elsewhere.

OL (9): Walker Little; Ben Bartch; Tyler Shatley; Luke Fortner; Brandon Scherff; Anton Harrison; Blake Hance; Cole Van Lanen; Cooper Hodges

The bold call I am making here is keeping Josh Wells off the roster. Maybe he makes it over Cole Van Lanen. Or he could be waived and then re-signed later when he is healthy since Cooper Hodges seems like he is heading toward regular-season injured reserve.

IDL (6): DaVon Hamilton; Foley Fatukasi; Roy Robertson-Harris; Adam Gotsis; Tyler Lacy; Jeremiah Ledbetter

The biggest question along the defensive line is whether the Jaguars use the same roster maneuvering with Adam Gotsis that they did last year. Since he is a veteran who isn't subject to waivers, they could release him to help stash a younger player before re-signing him shortly after, much like they did last year.

OLB (4): Josh Allen; Travon Walker; K'Lavon Chaisson; Yasir Abdullah 

Jordan Smith had a nice preseason, but K'Lavon Chaisson is a core special teamer who still looks like their No. 3 edge rusher. 

ILB (5): Foyesade Oluokun; Devin Lloyd; Chad Muma; Shaq Quarterman; Caleb Johnson

Ventrell Miller's injury means Shaq Quarterman and Caleb Johnson each have a shot to make the roster. The Jaguars carried six linebackers at the start of last season, so carrying five doesn't seem overboard. 

CB (6): Tyson Campbell; Darious Williams; Tre Herndon; Gregory Junior; Chris Claybrooks; Christian Braswell

This is a tough one because players like Montaric Brown and Erick Hallett wouldn't be easy cuts. With that said, Chris Claybrooks is a special teams ace and is still starting for every special teams unit on the team, while Christian Braswell is one of the rookies the Jaguars are quietly most excited about. 

Safety (5): Rayshawn Jenkins; Andre Cisco; Andrew Wingard; Daniel Thomas; Antonio Johnson

Daniel Thomas is another player who will likely make the roster thanks to his special teams value. Antonio Johnson has dealt with a hamstring injury but he seems fairly safe in his own right. 

Special Teams (3): Logan Cooke; Brandon McManus; Ross Matiscik

Zero surprises here.