7 Winners, 6 Losers From Jaguars' 53-Man Decisions: James Gladstone's Draft Picks

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The 53-man roster is set ... for now.

A lot of things can change between now and Sept. 13 when the Jaguars kick off in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium, but the Jaguars' first 53-man roster has some clear winners -- and some clear losers. We sort it all out below.

Winners

LeQuint Allen

The fact that Jaguars running back LeQuint Allen is not starting the year with an injured reserve/designated to return tag is great news for the Jaguars. Allen missed the last few weeks of camp with a soft tissue injury and his status for Week 1 remains up in the air, but it has to be a good sign for the Jaguars that they did not have to place him with any type of IR designation at all. They need him back on the field much sooner rather than later.

Cole Van Lanen

With the Jaguars releasing offensive tackle Chuma Edoga, it sure looks like the Jaguars feel good about Cole Van Lanen's recovery. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said earlier this summer that he will need to see Van Lanen practice ahead of the Browns game to feel comfortable with him at the right tackle spot, and the fact that the Jaguars moved on from Edoga suggests that they feel confident in Van Lanen being ready to go once the Browns' battle rolls around in two weeks.

Ameer Abdullah

It was hardly a surprise to see veteran running back Ameer Abdullah make the final roster, but that does not take away from just how good of a story he is. The 12th-year veteran signed with the Jaguars as a relative afterthought during the spring, but he shined during training camp and then had a standout performance in the second week of the preseason against the Carolina Panthers. Abdullah has earned his spot and then some, and he could be helpful early on if Allen has to miss any actual game time.

Christian Braswell

It felt like Christian Braswell was going to need a big training camp to fend off second-year cornerback Jabbar Muhammad for the final cornerback spot. While he certainly did not take over any practice after dealing with some injuries at the start of training camp, he was able to beat Muhammad for the final cornerback role even though Muhammad made a ton of plays over the course of both the spring and summer. His experience and special teams ability likely paid off in a big way, and the Jaguars opted to go with the player who they know and ultimately trust.

Dennis Gardeck

With the Jaguars only keeping one true strong side linebacker in Dennis Gardeck, he has suddenly become one of the most secure players on the roster. There is no other linebacker on the roster who can provide what he does to Anthony Campanile's defense, and his place as the team's starting SAM linebacker is locked up simply by default. I expect Gardeck to once again play a pivotal role for the Jaguars' defense this season.

Nate Boerkircher & Tanner Koziol

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, center, talks to tight end Tanner Koziol (89), right, and tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) during rookie minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Saturday, May 9, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. Today was the second of a three day camp concluding Sunday. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars have clearly moved full speed ahead with leaning on their rookie tight ends. Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol each should be significantly ahead of Quinton Morris on the depth chart, while the trade of veteran tight end Hunter Long to the Arizona Cardinals also helped pave the way for Boerkircher and Koziol to be at the top of the depth chart behind Brenton Strange. The Jaguars clearly are big fans of what each rookie tight end brings to the table, and their moves with the position this week suggests we will be seeing each of them very soon.

Losers

Jabbar Muhammad

If Jabbar Muhammad had performed better during the three-week preseason, I think he would have made the roster. He made more plays than any member of the secondary during practices this spring and summer, but his strong ability to make plays on the ball was not nearly as evident in live game action against the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Having to potentially spend another season on the practice squad after the kind of camp and offseason Muhammad had is a tough break for the second-year cornerback.

James Gladstone

After James Gladstone didn't cut a single draft pick a year ago, things looked a bit different this time around. Of the Jaguars' 19 picks over the last two offseasons, four picks (21.05%) are not on the 53-man roster in 2026. Two of the picks (Jack Kiser, Jalen McLeod) were outright waived, while Zach Durfee is on IR/Designated to return and rookie seventh-rounder Parker Hughes is on injured reserve. Gladstone has done a good job of finding talent at all stages of the offseason, but it seems like there are a few different options that we can consider to be Gladstone's first true misses in the draft.

Wesley Williams & Zach Durfee

The Jaguars kept six defensive ends on their 53-man roster, including a pair of rookies in Wesley Williams and undrafted free agent Bryan Thomas Jr. Fellow rookie defensive end Zach Durfee was also placed on the injured reserve/designated to return list, which means that of all of the rookie defensive ends, it sure looks like Thomas is the highest one on the depth chart. Williams looks like a healthy game day inactive at this point, while it remains to be seen exactly when we will see Durfee get activated onto the 53-man roster.

Jalen McLeod & Yasir Abdullah

It was a bit surprising to see the Jaguars move forward with zero backups on the roster for Dennis Gardeck. Perhaps the Jaguars see Jahlani Tavai as potential strong side linebacker depth, but the fact that they kept just one such linebacker on the roster instead of rostering one of Jalen McLeod or Yasir Abdullah could speak to how the Jaguars value the role moving forward. If the role is being diminished on the roster, that could be bad news even for their practice squad hopes.

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