1 Former Jaguars Draft Pick Seems to Be Making the Most of Their Opportunities

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are a franchise that gives players a chance to earn opportunities to help the team at every turn. Ahead of Week 3, it appears there is one Jaguars player who is doing the most with his chances.

The Jaguars announced Saturday that they would be elevating second-year linebacker Jalen McLeod from the practice squad to the active roster, marking the second week in a row for the former sixth-round pick that he has been active.

As a result, this could be read as a sign of McLeod developing and potentially carving out a role on the Jaguars' active roster as they move forward in Week 3.

nfl — Aug 28, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Jalen McLeod (35) looks on after a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

McLeod's Role

McLeod, 24, was elevated to the active roster in Week 2 and made his NFL debut after spending the 2025 season on the injured reserve list. He was originally drafted by Jacksonville in the sixth round (194th overall) of the 2025 draft. He played largely a special teams role in his debut last week against the Broncos, and that should be expected again this week against the Patriots.

That may not be a big role, but it is one that McLeod thrived in a week ago as the Jaguars' coverage units improved. And while it does not mean McLeod is set to get a larger role on defense, it does give him a chance to continue to hit the ground running.

"You got to have a little gameplan nuance, but to your point, you want to just let them go play, to let them go play fast and free so that you can evaluate some of the situational football and you can evaluate how they handle the elements and handle some of their first exposure," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said today.

"You get [LB] Jalen McLeod in there last week and his first exposure in a tough atmosphere, but you forget. I mean, the guy played at Auburn, he's played in some big crowds and some big atmospheres and he didn't flinch, he didn't blink, he did a really nice job, did some good things. And those are the ops that you want to continue to be able to evaluate. And for us as coaches, it's such a fine line of, man, let's go execute what we do best and so that we can go watch the tape on Monday after the game, win, lose, or draw, and truly be able to evaluate and say, did we get better or not? Did we get better or not? And that's really what you're looking for.”

nfl — Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Patrick Herbert (88), left, drills with linebacker Jalen McLeod (35) during the third day of NFL Training Camp at the Miller Electric Center on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

McLeod did not get any reps a year ago due to injuries, but he now has a chance to carve out a role on special teams that was not available to him at the start of the season. After not making the 53-man roster out of training camp, he now has a chance to stick around in a big way moving forward. That is what players like McLeod need to do, and he is doing it.

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