Jaguars' Early-Season Backup QB Decision May Not Be as Clear as You Think

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars made a noteworthy addition at the quarterback position this weekend, but the dust has yet to settle when it comes to the depth chart behind Trevor Lawrence.

Lawrence is entering his sixth season as the Jaguars' franchise quarterback, and he has opened with three different backup quarterbacks behind him in the last three seasons: C.J. Beathard, Mac Jones, and Nick Mullens.

Will new quarterback Quinn Ewers be the fourth? Last weekend's trade and the construction of the roster, which had Ewers on the 53-man roster 24 hours after he joined the team, might suggest yes in some cases. But in this case, the answer might not be so clear.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Quinn Ewers (10) throws as he debuted as a Jaguar during an NFL Jaguars practice at the Miller Electric Center, Tuesday September 2, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The QB2 Role

The addition of Ewers a day before the Jaguars' roster cut to 53 certainly implied that he is set to be the long-term backup of Trevor Lawrence, but that might be the wrong way of looking at it for Week 1 and the short-term. Instead, the addition should say more about the quarterback room at large and how the Jaguars are using roster mechanisms to improve the depth.

By trading for Ewers and keeping him on the 53-man roster, the Jaguars were able to land a quarterback to upgrade the room with the impending release of Carter Bradley. Had the Dolphins waived Ewers, he would have been subject to a waiver wire in which the Jaguars were No. 24 in the claim order, making it far from a guarantee they would land him. After the trade for Hunter Long was completed, this could be viewed as trading a future seventh-round pick to ensure they would not get lept in the waiver wire.

At the same time, Mullens is not a player who would be subject to the waiver wire since he is a veteran. With those types of players, teams often release them at cut down day with the understanding that the player would return to the practice squad, since no team can simply claim the rights to their contract.

The Jaguars could ensure they would have Mullens on the practice squad; they could not do the same for Ewers. The Jaguars can continue to keep Mullens on the practice squad without worry about another team trying to sign him to the active roster, another luxury they would not have with Ewers on the practice squad instead of on the 53.

That basically boils it down to this: instead of seeing Ewers as No. 2 and Mullens as No. 3, perhaps we should look at them as simply the two passers behind Lawrence on the depth chart.

"Yeah, Nick's presence here, it means a ton. His familiarity of the system, it’s like having another coach in the room. Certainly being able to understand that he can operate our offense in the way that it's intended to is something that we don't want to just separate from," Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said on Tuesday.

gladston — Jacksonville Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tony Boselli, left, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, center and Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone walk off the field after an NFL Jaguars practice at the Miller Electric Center, Tuesday September 2, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"That was a real conversation, an authentic conversation we had to have with Nick, and appreciate very much the way we went about it and the professionalism he showcased. He's such a great teammate, such a great partner in this, and is pouring right back in, starting out on our practice squad, and we'll see how it all unfolds here as we get into the season."

When viewing the situation from those lens, it certainly seems like the door would be open for Mullens to still be the Jaguars' No. 2 quarterback for at least the start of the season as Ewers learns the offense. Expecting Ewers to be prepared and ready to go into a game for any potential scenario by Sept. 13 would seem ambitious, and the way the Jaguars constructed the roster gives them the flexibility to not have to force that scenario.

"He's obviously having to get up to speed right now. Wanted to make sure we kept Nick [QB Nick Mullens] as well here in terms of, Week One, what does that look like? And is he up to speed?" Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on Wednesday. "But also, the amount of work that Nick puts in to the rest of the guys, the crew. I wanted to make sure that, hey, are we continuing to put ourselves in the best position to be successful as an offense, if and when something were to happen to Trevor [QB Trevor Lawrence].”

Ewers is an interesting addition to the quarterback room and could very well be the injection of talent their signal-caller depth chart needs. But for now, it might be early to annoint him as the No. 2 vs. the Cleveland Browns.

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