Jaguars vs. Texans: Snap count analysis

While watching a game live can give you one impression of a player's usage, looking at the actual amount of snaps they played compared to their teammates can also give insight into the team's strategy and outlook.

When looking at the snap counts for the Jacksonville Jaguars after their 13-12 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, it is clear to see what kind of plan the Jaguars went into the game with, and what limitations they had from a personnel standpoint.

Who played a lot, and why? Did the snaps mean anything or nothing? We examine below:

Offense (67 snaps)

OT Will Richardson: 67

OG Andrew Norwell: 67

OG A.J. Cann: 67

C Brandon Linder: 67

OT Jawaan Taylor: 67

QB Gardner Minshew: 67

RB Leonard Fournette: 65

WR Dede Westbrook: 58

WR Chris Conley: 57

WR DJ Chark: 55

TE James O'Shaughnessy: 44

TE Geoff Swaim: 35

TE Seth DeValve: 10

WR Keelan Cole: 9

RB Tyler Ervin: 2

Leonard Fournette playing all but two snaps isn't surprising because both head coach Doug Marrone and offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said all last week they envision Fournette as a player who doesn't come off of the field. After his major ineffectiveness yesterday though, it is curious that they have not given any other running back on the roster more than one carry this season.
Seth DeValve was mostly used in three tight end sets and as a fullback. It would be worth giving him an increase in snaps and targets once he learns the offense, considering he brings a pass catching element the other tight ends don't.
Keelan Cole's offensive snaps decreased from 12 to 9 compared to week 1, despite the offense playing more snaps against Houston and Marqise Lee not playing. Cole played two special teams snaps, unlike week 1 when he played zero, but it is still clear he does not have a major role.

Defense (66 snaps)

FS Jarrod Wilson: 66

CB Jalen Ramsey: 66

CB Tre Herndon: 66

SS Ronnie Harrison: 66

LB Quincy Williams: 66

LB Myles Jack: 66

DE Josh Allen: 61

DL Calais Campbell: 56

CB D.J. Hayden: 48

DT Abry Jones: 42

DT Marcell Dareus: 36

DE Dawuane Smoot: 27

DE Lerentee McCray: 23

LB Leon Jacobs: 18

DT Taven Bryan: 17

DT Dontavius Russell: 2

Marcell Dareus played only 55% of the defensive snaps in his 2019 debut, and it showed in the team's inability to stop the run with consistency. Until Dareus is fully healthy and able to take the majority of snaps like he has in the past, the team is going to struggle with opposing running games.
In a surprising development, Taven Bryan has flashed enough to earn more snaps after only playing 35 combined this season. He has three pressures on the season and he was disruptive against the Texans in limited snaps, landing the pressure and hit on quarterback Deshaun Watson that almost led to a Jalen Ramsey interception.
Leon Jacobs was utilized much more against the Texans than against the Chiefs, with his snaps almost doubling. This is going to be the case when the Jaguars play teams like Houston who employ more multi-tight end and heavy formations. Jacobs had one of his best performances in his career with 0.5 sacks and a TFL.

Special teams (25 snaps)

DB Cody Davis: 23

DB Josh Robinson: 23

LB Najee Goode: 21

DB Andrew Wingard: 20

CB Breon Borders: 19

LB D.J. Alexander: 17

LB Austin Calitro: 14

P Logan Cooke: 8

K Josh Lambo: 6

Add us as a preferred source on Google