The Jacksonville Jaguars are scheduled to kick-off training camp on July 22, and some intriguing roster battles will emerge as coach Liam Coen, GM James Gladstone and the new regime in Duval County put the finishing touches on their first 53-man roster.
Will the Jaguars keep all nine of their rookie draft picks, including a fourth running back in LeQuint Allen? How much roster leeway will Travis Hunter give the team as an expected two-way player? Who will emerge in what looks to be a wide-open competition for the WR5 role?
We’ll start getting answers to these questions and more in the coming weeks. For now, let’s identify who’s in and who’s in danger of getting cut by predicting Jacksonville’s 53-man roster ahead of training camp.
Jacksonville Jaguars 53-man roster projection
QUARTERBACK (2)
- Trevor Lawrence
- Nick Mullens
Practice squad/emergency QB: John Wolford
The depth chart behind Lawrence is extremely suspect, with Mullens locked into the QB2 spot entering camp, and fringe practice-squad quarterbacks John Wolford and undrafted rookie Seth Henigan vying for the emergency QB role. We’ll give the edge to Wolford, who GM James Gladstone knows from their time together with the L.A. Rams.
RUNNING BACK (4)
- Travis Etienne Jr.
- Tank Bigsby
- Bhayshul Tuten
- LeQuint Allen Jr.
The only surprise here is that Etienne remains the presumptive lead back, despite a hefty salary cap number ($6.1 million) and down year in terms of production in 2024. Coen shut down rumors that Etienne could be traded this offseason, so he should work in some sort of tandem with Bigsby and Tuten, with Allen also in the mix thanks to his pass-catching upside.
WIDE RECEIVER (6)
- Brian Thomas Jr.
- Travis Hunter
- Dyami Brown
- Parker Washington
- Joshua Cephus
- Trenton Irwin
The top four of Thomas, Hunter, Brown and Washington are locked in. Cephus will be tough to cut, as the former UTSA Roadrunners star was reportedly a standout during OTAs. He spent the majority of the 2024 season on Jacksonville’s practice squad. … With Hunter splitting reps on defense, it makes sense for the Jaguars to carry six wide receivers. Let’s give Irwin the nod here, as he has the versatility to play both outside and in the slot, and can also help on special teams as a returner.
TIGHT END (3)
- Brenton Strange
- Hunter Long
- Johnny Mundt
Former Buffalo Bills tight end Quintin Morris will also be in the mix this summer and could win himself a roster spot, but he feels like the clear No. 4 option entering camp. Strange enters as the TE1, and the team likes both Long and Mundt — two more former L.A. Rams who Gladstone snagged this offseason. Long is a lock after signing a two-year, $5 million free agent contract.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (10)
- Walker Little
- Ezra Cleveland
- Robert Hainsey
- Patrick Mekari
- Anton Harrison
- Fred Johnson
- Wyatt Milum
- Jonah Monheim
- Chuma Edoga
- Cole Van Lanen
This group feels pretty solidified entering camp, with Johnson jumping into the swing tackle role and both rookie draft picks — Milum and Monheim — virtual locks to make the initial 53. … Van Lanen enters camp on the roster bubble, with the additions of Johnson, Monheim and Edoga potentially edging him off the roster at offensive tackle. Van Lanen signed a fully-guaranteed tender worth $3.4 million this offseason, though, so that should keep him on the roster.
Total offense: 25
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (5)
- DaVon Hamilton
- Arik Armstead
- Maason Smith
- Jordan Jefferson
- Tyler Lacy
The good news? All five of these players are returners from last year’s team. The bad? All five of them will need to perform better, starting with Armstead. … The previous regime invested some big-time draft capital in guys like Smith (2024 second-round), Lacy (2023 fourth-round) and Jefferson (2024 fourth-round). The competition in camp will come from a crop of undrafted rookies, including James Carpenter, Eli Mostaert and Kelvie Rose.
EDGE DEFENDER (5)
- Josh Hines-Allen
- Travon Walker
- Dawuane Smoot
- Emmanuel Ogbah
- Dennis Gardeck
The Jaguars bolstered their EDGE depth this offseason with the additions of Smoot — who returns to Jacksonville after a season away — Gardeck and Ogbah. While this group should be much improved, it could spell the end for former fifth-round pick Yasir Abdullah and seventh-rounder Myles Cole.
LINEBACKER (5)
- Foyesade Oluokun
- Devin Lloyd
- Ventrell Miller
- Jalen McLeod
- Jack Kiser
Notable cut candidate: Chad Muma
The Jaguars added some serious competition for Chad Muma, a former third round pick who will be battling a pair of rookies in McLeod and Kiser in camp. We know Jacksonville’s new regime wants to open up opportunities for their young players, and Muma could be the odd man out here after getting roasted in pass coverage (141.1 passer rating against when targeted) in the limited defensive reps he saw last season.
CORNERBACK (5)
- Tyson Campbell
- Jarrian Jones
- Jourdan Lewis
- Montaric Brown
- De’Antre Prince
Jacksonville can justify keeping five cornerbacks, with Hunter also firmly in the mix here. … Brown held up well in extended opportunities last season, and Prince offers upside as a 2024 fifth-round pick. … The Jaguars were terrible against the pass last season, but their cornerback room should be much improved with Lewis manning the nickel spot and Jones kicking out to the boundary.
SAFETY (5)
- Eric Murray
- Darnell Savage
- Caleb Ransaw
- Rayuan Lane
- Andrew Wingard
Notable cut candidate: Antonio Johnson
Jacksonville’s safety play was atrocious last season, which is why Antonio Johnson lost his starting job and Andre Cisco is no longer on the roster. … Johnson, Wingard and Daniel Thomas will all be battling for reserve/special teams roles in camp. Wingard gets the nod as the superior special teamer of that group. That leaves Johnson, a 2023 fifth-round pick, on the outside looking in.
Total defense: 25
SPECIALISTS (3)
- Cam Little (kicker)
- Logan Cooke (punter)
- Ross Matiscik (long snapper)
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