5 Observations on Jaguars' Dominant Showing Over Buccaneers in Preseason Finale

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, -- The preseason, at last, is over.

The Jacksonville Jaguars concluded their three-week preseason with a finale at EverBank Stadium against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday night, winning 19-0 to end the preseason with a 2-1 record.

So, what did we see from the Jaguars during their final preseason contest, and what does it all mean as they prepare to shape their roster into the first official 53-man roster of the 2026 season? We break it all down below.

Ameer Abdullah Seems Safe

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) hands off to running back Ameer Abdullah (43) during Day 15 of NFL training camp at the Miller Electric Center on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The final preseason game will normally tell you most of the things you need to know when it comes to the 53-man roster. That was again the case when the Jaguars lined up to take on the Buccaneers on Friday, and the most interesting player who was sat down, to me, was running back Ameer Abdullah. It certainly felt like a week prior that Abdullah had played himself onto the roster with his performance against the Carolina Panthers, and Friday night seemed to confirm it.

If the Jaguars had any question at all if carrying Abdullah was the best choice for their roster on Sunday, we likely would have seen him share some reps with DeeJay Dallas and J'Mari Taylor on Friday night. But instead, Abdullah sat out of the game like most of the Jaguars' roster locks, and that might be able to say it all when it comes to his spot moving forward.

Now, would Abdullah make the roster if LeQuint Allen was healthier? That is a good question to ask, and there is no real way of knowing since it just isn't the situation the Jaguars are in.

Jalen McLeod Makes His Case

I had gone back and forth for the last few weeks about whether the Jaguars should keep Yasir Abdullah or Jalen McLeod. After tonight's showing against the Buccaneers, I think I am going to have to go with McLeod. We have known for a while now that he has some interesting traits worth developing on defense, and we finally saw him be able to put it together during a live game.

McLeod looked like one of the best defenders on the field on Friday, collecting a staggering seven tackles in the first half despite playing a position that does not collect many tackles. He also collected a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss on a coverage play, giving him a big night in his 2026 preseason debut. It was a solid outing for McLeod considering he just has not had much playing time to this point.

Nick Mullens Shows Why He is QB2

Are we done with the Nick Mullens hand-wringingyet, chat? Yes, the Jaguars could certainly improve at the QB2 spot -- a lot of teams could. But the idea that seemed to be popular a few weeks ago that Mullens was not in fact the second-best quarterback currently on the roster has aged like century-old milk over the last two weeks. Mullens has not only been impressive in practice over the last few weeks, but he closed the preseason with another solid outing.

Mullens went 5-of-7 for 62 yards on the first two drives of the game, giving him a passer rating of 98.5. By comparison, Carter Bradley went in for the rest of the first-half after Mullens exited and went 1-of-5 for five yards before the final drive of the half, where he found Austin Trammell for a 23-yard gain. Mullens is a few tiers better than Bradley, while Joey Aguilar is clearly still too young to be looked at as a potential QB2 option.

Bryan Thomas Jr. Keeps Flashing

Shocker from Friday night: Bryan Thomas Jr. had another good game. The undrafted rookie phenom has been terrific all preseason, and he once again was able to put together a stellar performance against the Buccaneers. It felt like he was once again racking up pressures at will, and he nearly had a strip-sack that led to a Jalen Huskey touchdown before the officials ruled it an incomplete pass.

Thomas has done really all an undrafted free agent can do to make a team at this point. If he does not make the Jaguars' 53-man roster, it is because they are just too invested in the two rookie defensive ends they drafted. Because otherwise, Thomas has been the Jaguars' best rookie pass-rusher since training camp began, especially over the course of the preseason.

"He definitely has shown me some things. He's played explosively in the games, and I think he's jumped out. His play style, his effort, that's jumped out. And that's what we saw in him watching his tape at South Carolina," Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said earlier in the week about the rookie pass-rusher.

"He was a guy that was going to run and hit. He was going to play his ass off every play. That's what, honestly, we really liked about him and we were fired up to get him in here for that reason. He's proven to do that here in the summer and since the spring, since he's been here.”

Cam Little Hits a Long Ball

Jacksonville Jaguars place kicker Cam Little (39) kicks a field goal before an NFL preseason football matchup at EverBank Stadum on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Cam Little has, as usual, been terrific this summer. He had very few misses during practice in training camp, and then he was flawless over the course of three preseason games. This streak concluded against the Buccaneers, with Little hitting his first long-ball of the summer with a 61-yard field goal at the start of the second quarter. We have been waiting all preseason for the Jaguars to give Little another chance to go deep, and he made this one with relative ease.

Everything we have seen this summer suggests Little is in for an even bigger year in 2026 than the terrific season he had a year ago. He has looked more accurate, more confident, and more and more like the seasoned veteran he has grown into after his first two NFL seasons. Things are looking very bright for Little and the Jaguars' kicking game moving forward.

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