Jaguars Vs. Browns: Cisco, Treadwell Among Players to Watch

The Jacksonville Jaguars will take the field under Urban Meyer and his coaching staff for the first time tonight, kicking off against the visiting Cleveland Browns at 7 p.m. as every player on the 90-man roster looks to make an impression.

Preseason games are invaluable for players up and down the roster looking to carve out a role for September. From drafted rookies trying to earn a starting role to late-offseason additions who are scratching and clawing to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, the preseason consists of some of the most important games of the season, even if the wins and losses don't count.

So, which players will be the most interesting to watch in tonight's bout? Who has the most to potentially gain or lose? We break down a few names here.

S Andre Cisco

The Jaguars have a pretty tight battle going on at strong safety. There is returning veteran Josh Jones, who has gotten the lion's share of the reps with the first-team defense in practice. Behind him, though, the Jaguars have Jarrod Wilson, Rudy Ford and third-round rookie Andre Cisco all competing for snaps and a role. Cisco has the highest ceiling among the three, though, and the No. 65 overall pick has flashed over and over again throughout training camp, putting the primary focus on him this evening.

Saturday will be Cisco's first game since he sustained a season-ending ACL injury last September, so it will be a good sign to see him in a live-action game after he has been a full participant in every single training camp practice. Cisco's range and ball skills finding a way onto the field with the starting defense sooner than later is one way the Jaguars' defense can improve quickly, and a strong performance against the Browns could expedite that process.

"Cisco is really doing well for us and [we’re] really excited about his total development and how he’s coming along," assistant head coach Charlie Strong said this week. "He came in with an issue that he had with the knee, but he hasn’t missed one beat. We got him here and he was able to work through it and then now, all of a sudden, he’s out there. He’s doing a great job for us.”

WR Laquon Treadwell

The Jaguars have a fierce battle going on at wide receiver. They have four spots on the roster guaranteed to DJ Chark, Marvin Jones, Laviska Shenault, and Jamal Agnew, but then things get murky. 2020 fifth-rounder Collin Johnson is the best athlete after those four and has had a great camp, but 2016 first-rounder Laquon Treadwell has been right there with him, step for step. Treadwell has consistently impressed throughout training camp against the Jaguars' defensive backs, whether with the first- or second-team offense.

“Laquon’s really been impressive as he’s been here. I think he’s worked his tail off," offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said this week. "With the guys that have been down ahead of him, it’s given him a lot of opportunities to be out on the field and he’s making most of the plays that are coming his way, so I like what he’s doing.”

Treadwell will likely play a good amount on Saturday due to DJ Chark's finger injury and Phillip Dorsett's status (hamstring) being up in the air. If he can impress with reps against other team's cornerbacks like has in practice against Jacksonville's, his case for a spot on the 53-man roster will only be made stronger.

LG Ben Bartch

Like all other 2020 draft picks, Week 1 of the preseason will be the first time Ben Bartch ever plays in a preseason game. He will start the game, too, since veteran left guard Andrew Norwell won't play due to an elbow injury that Urban Meyer says will keep the starting guard out for one more week. As a result, Bartch will likely get a large share of reps and chances to put something on tape to impress Meyer and offensive line coach George Warhop.

Considering the giant leap in level of competition Bartch faced as a rookie after coming from a D-III program, any reps Bartch can get against opposing NFL defenders is massive. He played a bit as a rookie, but not enough to give him a large sample size of plays at the NFL level. The preseason gives him the chance to get his feet under him, something he didn't have the opportunity to do last year.

LB/EDGE K'Lavon Chaisson

One of the top defensive playmakers for the Jaguars throughout this year's camp has been 2020 No. 20 overall pick K'Lavon Chaisson. Chaisson recorded one sack as a rookie as he struggled with a transition to playing defensive end in a 4-3 scheme, but the Jaguars have put him in a much more natural role as a strong side linebacker in a 3-4, which will still allow him to rotate as an edge rusher in nickel formations.

“I do. I don't know him very well. I’m getting to know him, I’m getting to respect him because he's a, as we say around here, a 4-to-6, A-to-B guy and he goes hard," Meyer said last week when asked if he has been impressed with Chaisson. "He made a couple mistakes [last Saturday], but that's our job. His job is to go hard and he’s doing it.”

Like Bartch, Chaisson didn't get a chance to play a single preseason game as a rookie. Letting Chaisson get as many snaps as possible to prepare for the 2021 season and his new role will be key, as will watching him attempt to tee off against a good Browns' offense.

TE Ben Ellefson

A lot of the focus will be on first-time tight end Tim Tebow, who will likely take snaps with the third-team offense in his first-ever game at the position. But the player whose performance will be most critical at the tight end position is instead Ben Ellefson, a second-year player who the Jaguars' staff has singled out time and time again since dating back to OTAs. As a 2020 rookie, Ellefson didn't get to play in a preseason and he has limited tape at the NFL level, but the Jaguars like his talent and Saturday gives him his best chance to put it on display.

Ellefson is likely competing directly with Tebow and Tyler Davis for a spot on the roster, so how he performs in comparison to his counterparts against the Browns could go a long way to determining his place on the roster. If he impresses throughout the preseason, it wouldn't be shocking to see him open the year as the Jaguars' No. 3 tight end. The road toward doing so began at the start of camp, but Saturday provides Ellefson's biggest test yet.

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