4 Sleepers Who Can Help the Jaguars Take Down the Patriots

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars spent the offseason focusing on improving the depth of their roster, and now it is time for that depth to answer the call.

The Jaguars will need their entire active roster to fend off the New England Patriots at home in Week 3, and that means a few key depth players are going to have to step up. So, which Jaguars sleepers will be the most important in Week 3? We break down a few names to watch below.

WR Josh Cameron

The Jaguars simply were not good enough at passing the ball against the Broncos in Week 2, largely a result of the offense not getting the ball to the perimeter with success. There were a lot of reasons this happened, and everyone shared some blame in it from the quarterback, to the receivers, to the offensive line. But if the Jaguars want to make some kind of shakeup to avoid this happening again, one option could come in the form of a rookie.

Jaguars rookie receiver Josh Cameron had a strong outing as an outside receiver in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, but he did not play as much in Week 2 against the Broncos. Increasing Cameron's snap count and giving him more chances in the passing game could pay off for the Jaguars if they are looking for an outside receiver to simply win with tough hands. Cameron has earned some trust in the offense already, and maybe we see him play more snaps and run more routes this week as a result.

LB Dennis Gardeck

Dennis Gardeck has played a key role for the Jaguars this season, taking snaps at both outside linebacker and as a an edge rusher on third-downs. He has been productive, too, as he is tied for second on the defense in pressures with four through two games. This is, of course, in spite of Gardeck not even being close to second on the team in pass-rush snaps.

With the Jaguars needing more juice from their pass-rush this week after zero sacks a week ago, Gardeck could be a key option to turn to on obvious passing downs. The Jaguars have to earn the right to rush the passer by winning on rushing downs early in the drive, though, and Gardeck should be an important part of those efforts as well against a tough running attack from New England.

TE Nate Boerkircher

I will admit I was a bit skeptical that the Jaguars would actually lean into the 12 personnel craze, even after they took Nate Boerkircher at No. 56 overall. But the numbers show that the first two weeks have seen the Jaguars evolve in terms of their scheme and usage of tight ends, and Boerkircher is a clear reason why. According to NextGenStats, Jaguars have used two or more tight end sets at the sixth-highest rate in the NFL (45.0%), up from the ninth-lowest rate in 2025 (24.9%). Jacksonville deploys heavier personnel on 61.8% of called runs, the sixth-highest mark among NFL offenses.

It feels like the increase in two-tight end sets has led to the Jaguars getting better on the ground compared to a year ago, and it would make sense to lean on that strength this week against a physical Patriots defense. I am not sure if Boerkircher will be a featured pass-catcher at any point this season, but his blocking ability changes how Liam Coen structures the offense. That could come into play in a big way this week.

DB Caleb Ransaw

Caleb Ransaw has played a little over 30 snaps through the first two weeks, making for a small sample size. With that in mind, I think the tape has shown Ransaw do some good things; he made a few impressive tackles in space in Week 1 against the Browns and had good coverage on a few reps last week against the Broncos. I am interested to see what he could do in a larger role.

Will that role be larger against the Patirots? They love to play with extra tight ends and a fullback and really stuff the line of scrimmage with blockers, but their offense has been better in 11 personnel this year, and the Jaguars' defense has been worse against shotgun runs than any other rushing attack. This feels like a game where a third safety could come into play, and the Jaguars will need Ransaw ready considering the stakes of this game.

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