Four Winners, Four Losers With Jaguars Training Camp Approaching

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Training camp is just 15 days away for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the 2026 offseason is nearly officially over.

We have taken stock on a variety of Jaguars topics in advance of camp opening at Miller Electric Center later this month, and now we take a look at one of the most important ones of them all: who is entering training camp a winner, and who isn't. We break it all down below, with the Jaguars' offseason moves firmly in mind for context.

Winners

Trevor Lawrence

Outside of his ludicrous ranking among the NFLs top quarterbacks this week, the 2026 offseason has been very, very good to Trevor Lawrence. The Jaguars brought back his play-caller, coordinator, and quarterbacks coach, while he is also now set to have the best supporting cast of weapons he has had in his entire NFL career. Add in what was arguably the best offseason program of his entire career, and the arrow is surely pointing up for Lawrence.

The Jaguars' franchise quarterback will of course have to pull his own weight when it comes to meeting the expectations that have been so highly set. But as long as Lawrence picks up where he left off, then he should be able to be in as good of a spot as he has been in since the Jaguars took him with the No. 1 pick in 2021.

James Gladstone

This might seem like a bold name to put here since the Jaguars' offseason has been torn apart over the course of the last few weeks, whether because of the departures of Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd in free agency or because of the Jaguars' controversial selection of tight end Nate Boerkircher at No. 56 overall. But frankly, this was one of the cleanest and more efficient offseasons the Jaguars have had, and Gladstone spearheaded that effort.

The Jaguars had real reasons to not want to pony up the money for Etienne and Lloyd, and they will be getting a pair of draft picks (as well as a third for Greg Newsome) as a result of letting them walk. Adding draft capital and spending money instead at key positions like wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback, and edge defender is simply smart work.

Ruke Orhorhoro

ruke orhoror — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro (99) tosses a tennis ball back after running a drill during the Jaguars final Organized Team Activity on Monday, June 15, 2026 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Arguably the biggest hole on the Jaguars' roster entering the offseason was the three-technique depth behind Arik Armstead. The Jaguars did not get the things out of Maason Smith that they were expecting last season, and nobody else was able to stand out in a big way once Armstead dealt with injuries over the second half of the season.

The Jaguars' solution to the need was trading Smith for former Atlanta Falcons second-rounder Ruke Orhorhoro, and the Jaguars did not make many moves at the spot otherwise. That means Orhorhoro should get every possibile oppurtunity to carve out a legit role in the Jaguars' defense, whether in 2026 or beyond.

Travis Hunter (CB)

Travis Hunter is firmly in line to be the Jaguars' No. 1 cornerback this season, a position where he has seemingly unlimitted upside. Hinter has the talent to be one of the NFL's best cornerbacks, and the way the Jaguars' depth chart at cornerback is set up should allow him to grow into that role rather quickly.

It would be a surprise to see the Jaguars not have Hunter as their top cornerback this offseason, even as early as in Week 1. The Jaguars have opened the door for Hunter to thrive as the Jaguars' lockdown cornerback, and he should be able to briskly walk through it.

Losers

Travis Hunter (WR)

Travis Hunter is still set to have a clear role at wide receiver this season, but it certainly looks different than the receiver role he was looking at this time last year. Last season, Hunter was the Jaguars' clear No. 2 receiver entering training camp, behind only Brian Thomas Jr. This time around, he has Thomas still there, but also Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers.

Hunter will get his time at wide receiver and will certainly make plays on that side of the ball, but his greatest impact is set to be at cornerback. That is surely not a bad thing, but it is a change up from where we were a year ago.

Veteran Guards

patrick mekar — Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Patrick Mekari (65) is introduced before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Colts 36-19. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars have spent top-100 picks on guards in back-to-back years, which certainly puts the writing at the wall for the Jaguars' pair of veteran guards moving into the future. It remains to be seen whether that future is in 2026, or whether it comes further down the road since the Jaguars have Ezra Cleveland and Patrick Mekari manning the guard spots as of today.

Still, the fact the Jaguars added Wyatt Milum and Emmanuel Pregnon with top picks two years in a row, it is clear the Jaguars believe they are the faces of the guard positions moving forward. Milum is likely a good bit closer to starting than Pregnon, but adding the two of them means the timeline is limited for Mekari and Cleveland.

Pass-Rush Plans

anthony campanil — Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile answers questions after the Jaguars 14th NFL training camp session at Miller Electric Center Tuesday August 12, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars travel to New Orleans to play the Saints this Sunday in their second preseason game. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars are putting a lot of faith in their coaching staff when it comes to their pass-rush depth. That staff has of course earned plenty of benefit of the doubt after what they did with the defense a year ago, but that doesn't change the fact that the Jaguars' solution to improving their pass-rush depth was drafting defensive ends in the fourth- and seventh-round and leaning on two undrafted free agents from last season.

Those former undrafted gems, Danny Striggow and B.J. Green, each flashed as rookies but will likely be needed on a far grander scale this time around. The Jaguars will look brilliant if the bet pays off, but for now it looks like one of the riskiest moves the Jaguars made over the course of the entire 2026 offseason.

Cole Van Lanen

We are a few weeks away from training camp kicking off, and we still do not know much about the timeline for Jaguars left tackle Cole Van Lanen. The Jaguars' starting tackle did not make many appearances even working to the side during the offseason program, and the Jaguars have been quiet about injuries over the last year-and-a-half. In short, we will not really know how close Van Lanen is to returning until, well, he is returning.

The Jaguars do have some depth at tackle thanks to Walker Little, who has plenty of NFL starts under his belt and who was seen as the franchise left tackle this time last year. But for now, Van Lanen and his Week 18 injury is a looming question mark hanging over the franchise that will not go away until he is back on the field, and we still do not know when that will be.

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