Good, Not So Good From Jaguars' Final Roster Cuts: James Gladstone's Philosophy

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have had quite the busy few days.

Since Saturday, the Jaguars have traded for a new backup quarterback, traded Hunter Long to the Arizona Cardinals, reduced their roster down to 53 players, and signed 15 players to their practice squad.

So, now that the dust has settled after the flurry of moves, what do we make of the Jaguars' final roster cuts? We break down the good and the not so good from the Jaguars' busy weekend.

The Good

The QB Moves

The Quinn Ewers trade looks pretty dang good for the Jaguars and general manager James Gladstone after seeing the moves that took place after. Had the Jaguars just dealt a 2028 sixth-round pick for Ewers, it would be seen as less of a win because he still hasn't proven that he is a capable No. 2 quarterback, but we now know that is not exactly what happened.

The Jaguars were able to land a 2028 sixth-round pick the day after the Ewers trade thanks to a deal that sent Hunter Long and a 2028 seventh-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals, helping the Jaguars recoup the pick they sent for Ewers. The Jaguars then managed to keep former backup quarterback Nick Mullens on the practice squad along with Joey Aguilar.

Best-case scenario? The Jaguars upgraded the No. 2 and No. 3 quarterback spots for a late Day 3 pick in two years. Worst-case scenario? Ewers is the same level of backup as Mullens, and the Jaguars' sole value is having more backup options that aren't just Mullens. Even if it goes that way, this feels like a smart move for the Jaguars.

James Gladstone's Philosophy

The Jaguars have said consistently that what really matters when it comes to building their roster is the performance players put on the practice and game field. The Jaguars and Gladstone stuck by that philosophy this year, with one undrafted free agent (Bryan Thomas Jr), two players from trades (Ewers and Daniel Faalele), and two players who signed late in the offseason/during camp (Ameer Abdullah and Jahlani Tavai) all making the roster.

Simply put, this is the right way to build the roster. This is how you uncover gems like Matt Dickerson and BJ Green. Yes, the Jaguars had to cut two former draft picks, but they did so because they are more committed to building the right roster than they are to being looked at as "right" when it comes to hitting on every single draft pick. That is the lack of ego a team needs to thrive, and something past Jaguars regimes struggled to understand.

The RB Room

nmf — Jacksonville Jaguars running back Christian Rodriguez Jr. (24) looks on during the third day of NFL Training Camp at the Miller Electric Center on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

I will say it: I think the Jaguars' running back room is more talented than it was a year ago when the Jaguars entered Week 1 with Travis Etienne, Bhayshul Tuten, Tank Bigsby, and LeQuint Allen. The Jaguars have since swapped out Etienne and Bigsby for Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Ameer Abdullah, and while the change won't be as popular on paper, I felt like the running back room had a much better summer than a year ago.

The Jaguars' four running backs should be a more efficient and explosive group than what the Jaguars had for most of the year in 2025, and they did it with a cheap veteran deal, an afterthought veteran signing, and two Day 3 picks. That is a solid way to build a running back room without uysing significant resources.

The Not So Good

The LB Depth

Aug 21, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver John Metchie III (13) stiff arms Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Jahlani Tavai (32) during the third quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars surprisingly only kept five linebackers, and they cut three notable linebckers (Jack Kiser, Jalen McLeod, and Yasir Abdullah) in the process. The Jaguars did get Kiser and McLeod back on the practice squad, but this is probably still the thinnest room on the Jaguars' entire roster. This was the case entering the offseason, too, and the only real changes the Jaguars have made were promoting Branson Combs and signing veteran backup Jahlani Tavai.

I do think the linebacker group is probably the least-important unit in Anthony Campanile's scheme due to how many defensive backs he fields, but it would not be hard to argue that this is one linebacker room that will not worry many offensive coordinators. That could change if Ventrell Miller or Combs impress and take a big step forward, but otherwise this looks like the weakest position group on the Jaguars' 53-man roster at the present.

TE4

When the Jaguars traded Hunter Long to the Cardinals on Sunday, they made it very clear that they saw Quintin Morris as their only real option for the No. 4 tight end spot. It does not seem like it matters very much that they kept Morris as the TE4 over players waived such as Jabbar Muhammad, Jalen McLeod, or Jack Kiser since they got each of those players back on the practice squad, but it does stand to reason that the Jaguars could have easily kept Chuma Edoga over Morris.

That is not to say that Edoga would have been anything more than the No. 10 offensive lineman, but that feels like it would have been a better use for the final spot on the roster over a fourth tight end who did not have a very good summer of practices.

The CB5 Move

In general, it is not a big deal that the Jaguars kept Christian Braswell over Jabbar Muhammad for the No. 5 cornerback spot because the Jaguars were able to keep Muhammad on the practice squad. But this was the one cut the Jaguars made that I really disagreed with, even if I see the logic in leaning on the experience and special teams value of Braswell in the top backup cornerback role.

With that in mind, Muhammad simply made way more plays over the course of the spring and summer than Braswell. He is younger and hasn't had as many in-game reps as Braswell had for this Jaguars staff just a year ago, but Muhammad's play over the course of training camp suggested, to me, that he was the better player for the job.

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