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Jaguars Mailbag: What We Are Looking for vs. Saints, Nate Boerkircher and More

In this week's Jacksonville Jaguars mailbag, we take a look at the Jaguars' upcoming preseason opener with the New Orleans Saints.
John Shipley|
Aug 13, 2026; Metairie, LA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) against the New Orleans Saints during a joint scrimmage during at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Aug 13, 2026; Metairie, LA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) against the New Orleans Saints during a joint scrimmage during at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Jacksonville Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars will be playing real football (sort of) in a little over 24 hours, so it is time for another Jaguars Mailbag.

In this week's mailbag, we take questions on Saints week, some of the Jaguars top rookies, and much more. We break it all down below.

Jaguars Mailbag

A: The actual results of the games truly could not matter less at this juncture, and I expect the list of Jaguars who are sitting out of the game to resemble a CVS receipt. With that said, I will be having my eyes on the Jaguars' 10 draft picks. Snaps will likely be few and far between for many of them once the regular season kicks off, so now is the chance for them to get some meaningful reps on tape. I really want to see Tanner Koziol get some good work in the running game, because that could determine just how much he plays this season.

A: I mentioned this yesterday, but I do not think Wesley Williams has been bad or disappointing by any stretch of the imagination. He more or less has looked like what most fourth-round defensive ends look like. He is young and you can see the potential and the Jaguars' vision, but it is a wait-and-see type of development. Considering his skill-set is one that translates more to game reps than practice, I would imagine he could stand out more in the preseason than he has so far in training camp.

So to answer your question, he has shown some flashes, but maybe not as much as some of the other young defensive ends on the Jaguars' roster. How much that actually matters when it comes to Week 1 and beyond is to be determined, however.

A: Anton, Parker are 100% locks to stay, to me. Antonio Johnson is getting there too. The rest are up in the air, though BTJ could do himself some favors with a big performance in 2026. This is the only Jaguars regime I have covered in my career that I feel pretty confident in when it comes to extending their home-grown talent.

A: I think he has an interesting skill-set as a pass-catcher, and the type of traits we haven't seen the Jaguars roster at tight end very often in year's past. He has legit speed, runs good routes, and can attack the ball in the air like a receiver. With that said, the lack of physicality as both a blocker and at the catch point has shown up a few times. I think he will have a role as TE3, but not a very large one.

I do think Koziol has such a unique skill-set that you might see him in some niche red-zone packages now and then, but overall I think he will be a distant third in terms of snaps along the tight end depth chart behind Brenton Strange and Nate Boerkircher.

A: Cole Van Lanen? Before he proved his worth last year, he had been pretty unplayable in the past. He got a lot better in 2025, but coming off a serious injury raises some questions that will need answers. He likely would have been my pick for this spot even without his injury, though. Other names I would look at are Dennis Gardeck and Arik Armstead.

A: I think either nine or 10 rookies make it. At least the Jaguars' first nine draft picks will make it, while I believe their tenth and final pick Parker Hughes is more of a to-be-determined option. I do not think any undrafted free agent makes the 53-man roster this time around, but four second-year undrafted free agents will make it between Danny Striggow, B.J. Green, Branson Combs, and Jabbar Muhammad.

A: I think the penalties are actually down a good bit compared to this time last year, and I have not seen many (any?) thrown on Hunter at practices at the Miller Electric Center. I think it was an issue with the whole unit last year but especially Hunter, but I honestly have not seen it be as severe of an issue as it was at this same time last season.

Could that change when we get into the regular season and start to see the Jaguarsin more game-like situations? It certainly is a possibility, but at this point in time I would not have it near the top of my list of concerns when it comes to the Jaguars.

A: That depends on whether you cover the Saints or not!

A: Chris Rodriguez Jr., and by a good bit. The Jaguars really like Bhayshul Tuten in that role a year ago, but Rodriguez is arguably even better at it. It feels like it is just an added piece to Tuten's game, while it is Rodriguez's entire appeal. If training camp has made anything clear about the Jaguars' running game so far, it is that they truly do believe in Rodriguez to be their thumper in the running game, and he has checked each and every box thus far.

I think the wide receiver room has the best depth. The Jaguars' backups at reciever (Josh Cameron, CJ Williams, Tim Jones, Austin Trammell) have all had really good camps. If the Jaguars had an injury pop up at wide receiver by now, I think they would have been able to rely on one of the backups to step up. As for poor depth? Linebacker and offensive line are both looking very shaky in terms of depth right now. The Jaguars can't afford to lose either Anton Harrison or Foyesade Oluokun this year.

I love this question, and I would go ...

  • Jakobi Meyers
  • Josh Cameron
  • Parker Washington
  • Brian Thomas Jr.
  • CJ Williams
  • Travis Hunter

This scheme requires the receivers to block often, and this group does a good job of mixing it up in the running game.

A: Diamonds and Rust by Joad Baez, because I watched the Bob Dylan biopic movie and then went down a rabbit hole that I have not yet climbed out of.

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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.

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