4 Jaguars Facing Critical Opportunities Before Jordan Davis, Jessie Bates Make Their Debuts

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It will be one more week until the Jacksonville Jaguars introduce two of their new faces on defense, which gives several players one more chance to make a big impression before the lineup and rotations change.

The Jaguars are set to sit defensive tackle Jordan Davis and safety Jessie Bates III against the Tennessee Titans in Week 10, with head coach Liam Coen opting to give the veteran pair the bye week they never got with the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.

That means a few players will continue to play key roles for the Jaguars defensively when they face off with the Titans, players who Coen says have already ramped things up in practice following the additions of Bates, Davis, and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux.

“Yeah, I thought Wednesday was a really good practice. I thought yesterday started a little bit slow on offense, but it got a lot better. Defense, I thought, had a great practice. Offense threw it and caught it really well. It was competitive, I thought you could feel the competitive juice a little bit," Coen said.

"Albert Regis, Matt Dickerson, a lot of guys that obviously are going to be somehow impacted by these trades. It's just natural. I felt an uptick in competition and urgency, and I think these guys are going to go into this weekend understanding that the standard doesn't change. We have to continue to get better and it's about us and the way that we perform, the way we prepare and I'm excited about getting out there today to see what that looks like.”

So, which Jaguars have one more chance to make a big impression in Week 10 against the Titans? We break it down below.

DL Matt Dickerson

One of the key cogs of the Jaguars' defensive tackle depth the last two easons has been veteran defensive tackle Matt Dickerson. He earned a spot on the active roster last year after starting out first on the practice squad before eventually elevating himself to the game day roster thanks to some performances in practice. This year, he has played 30% of the Jaguars' defensive snaps and he has appeared in all eight games with one start, which game last week against the Baltimore Ravens.

Dickerson got the nod to start at nose tackle in Week 9 due to the injury to Davon Hamilton, though that remains to be seen if it will be the case in Week 10 due to the debut of Godchaux. He will get snaps though since Davis will not be playing, a case that may not remain the same next week against the New York Giants. Dickerson making a big impact this week in his role could go a long way for him to still have a spot in the rotation once Davis makes his debut.

DL Albert Regis

Jaguars third-round rookie defensive tackle Albert Regis has appeared in four of the Jaguars' eight games, but the injury to Davon Hamilton led to Regis playing nearly half of his rookie year snaps in one game against the Baltimore Ravens. Regis got a career-high 21 snaps against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football, rotating with Dickerson at nose tackle and making a few plays in the process.

It might not be a sure thing that Regis is active this week, though it would make sense to have him active with Godchaux still being such a new addition. If he does get on the field, it could be his last time being active this season unless the Jaguars end up getting hit with more injuries at defensive tackle. That is worth making an impression for.

DB Rayuan Lane

Over a quarter of Rayuan Lane's career defensive snaps have come in the last two weeks after the Jaguars lost Eric Murray to a season-ending injury. He averaged fewer than seven defensive snaps a game as a rookie but has almost doubled his rookie year snap total in 2026, playing a career-high 60 snaps against the Colts in Week 9 and then making his second-career start against the Ravens last week.

Lane should still get snaps as the team's third safety once Bates is in the starting lineup next to Antonio Johnson from Weeks 11 onward. But unless the Jaguars see any injuries to Bates or Johnson, this could be the last start Lane makes in 2026. He has earned a real spot in the defense thanks to his recent performances, and this could be another chance for him to continue to impress.

DB Jalen Huskey

Jaguars third-round rookie safety Jalen Huskey has appeared in three of the Jaguars' last four games after not getting a game day nod during the first month of the season. The last two weeks have been especially big for Huskey, with him recording three tackles and his first career sack in Week 8 against the Colts and then playing 10 defensive snaps against the Baltimore Ravens last week.

With Bates heading into the lineup next week, though, this could be the last time we see Huskey active for a bit. The Jaguars clearly have Lane and Merriweather ahead of him in the pecking order at safety, which means the Jaguars would have to take five safeties into a game to have Huskey active beyond this week.

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