One Surprise Jaguars Cut to Expect After OTAs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' veteran roster is returning all but a select few of the pieces that carried them to a 13-4 record and an AFC South title last year, which means roster spots are few and far in between.

The Jaguars' starting roster has seemingly been set since even before they made 10 picks in April's draft, but there are still battles up and down the roster that are to be won over the course of the next few months.

Next week's minicamp offers the next stage in the offseason program and another chance for a few key players to stake their claims to roster spots following OTAs. Through this point of the offseason, there have been a number of veterans who have seen their spots challenged, including one surprising name: cornerback Christian Braswell.

christian braswell — Nov 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Christian Braswell (21) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Braswell's Challenge

Let us make a few things clear why Braswell is our selection here. For one, we can not go with a player who has always been seen as on the outside looking in, because that would not exactly check the box of surprising cut. Braswell has proven to be a solid and reliable piece of the secondary and special teams before, and the fact the Jaguars drafted zero cornerbacks certainly did not make it seem like he would have to fight much for a spot.

And to another point, Braswell is not on this list because of anything he has done wrong during OTAs thus far. Braswell has been as solid as ever on the practice field. This has more to do with the fact that there are several young cornerbacks on the Jaguars' roster who have stood out in such a big way that it perhaps overshadows what Braswell has done.

Undrafted rookie cornerback Preston Hodge recorded an interception in the first OTA practice a few weeks ago and has been consistently impressive. Hodge was already one of the top-rated undrafted free agents the Jaguars had signed following the draft, and he has been a frequent highlight of practices since.

As for Muhammad, he is a former undrafted free agent who is entering his second season with the Jaguars. No cornerback has gotten his hands on the football more than Muhammad through two open OTA practices, with the former Oregon cornerback showing a serious knack for forcing pass breakups thus far in OTAs.

Braswell, to his own credit, has looked like one of the Jaguars' top cornerbacks in OTAs as the unit takes the field without Travis Hunter and Jourdan Lewis. But both Hunter and Lewis will return at some point, which will knock Braswell a few spots down the depth chart. Once the Jaguars get to that spot in the depth chart, would Braswell be worth keeping over a potentially high-ceiling cornerback in their first or second season?

The Jaguars know what Braswell can provide, but we saw a similar scenario last year with former safety Daniel Thomas. Thomas was cut before the regular-season due to the emergence of rookie safety Rayuan Lane; not because he was not still playing at a high level, but because a new, younger option has stepped up to the plate.

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