JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The bulk of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ roster building is, for the most part, complete, so it’s time to evaluate how it has been put together:
Offense
Quarterback
Holdovers: Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Beathard
Newcomers: Jake Luton, E.J. Perry
Outlook: The Jaguars count on Lawrence’s big leap in his second season, after adding wide receivers Zay Jones Christian Kirk Closed end Evan Engram. It’s hard to really know just how much last season’s dysfunctional atmosphere under former coach Urban Meyer really impacted Lawrence’s development, but hiring former quarterback Doug Pederson as its next coach should make a significant difference.
Running back
Holdovers: James Robinson, Travis Etienne Jr., Ryquell Armstead, Nathan Cottrell, Mekhi Sargent
Newcomers: Snoop Conner
Outlook: There’s no official timetable for Robinson’s return from the torn left Achilles he sustained in late December, but the general timetable is around nine months, which would be sometime in September. Etienne, a first-round draft pick who is nearly completely cleared in his return from a Lisfranc injury that caused him to miss his rookie season, will be the main back until Robinson returns – and he may even hold onto that role after. Pederson, however, used a running back by committee approach during his five seasons with The Ravens. Philadelphia Eagles Never had a back rush of more than 867 yardsMiles Sanders In 2020, expect a shared load to the Jaguars in 2022.
Tight end
Holdovers: Dan Arnold, Chris Manhertz, Luke Farrell
Newcomers: Evan Engram, Naz Bohannon, Grayson Gunter, Gerrit Prince
Outlook: Engram has had his issues with drops (23 in his four seasons, most among tight ends), but he still gives the Jaguars a playmaker they haven’t had at that position since Julius Thomas 2015 In each of his five seasons, Engram has gotten at least 44 passes. Only six times have the Jaguars had a tight-end catch more than 40 passes in one season in their 27 year history. Bohannon, who was a college basketball player at Youngstown State or Clemson and now wants to move to football, is an interesting man to follow.
Wide receiver
Holdovers: Marvin Jones Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr., Jamal Agnew, Laquon Treadwell, Jeff Cotton
Newcomers: Christian Kirk, Zay James Lujuan Winningham, Ryan McDaniel, Tim Jones, Marvin Hall, Kevin Austin Jr., Willie Johnson
Outlook: The top three are Zay Jones, Marvin Jones, and Kirk. The next order? Depends. Shenault was tied second in NFL drop percentage last season. Shenault had trouble running the right routes. Treadwell came on late and was one of the team’s best receivers in the final six weeks of 2021. Agnew, one of the league’s best kick returners, showed sparks but is coming off a hip injury. Austin was a highly sought-after undrafted agent and the Jaguars paid $230,000.
Offensive Line
Holdovers: Cam Robinson, Ben Bartch, Tyler Shatley, Jawaan Taylor, Walker Little, Will Richardson Jr., KC McDermott, Badara Traore
Newcomers: Brandon Scherff, Luke Fortner, Jared Hocker, Wes Martin, Denzel Okafor, Coy Cronk
Outlook: Robinson and Scherff are the only two remaining spots in the five starting spots. Pederson said Bartch is the leader, but they’re rotating at that spot, including McDermott and Cronk. Fortner and Shatley will be competing at center. Little and Taylor should compete for the starting right tackle.
Defense
Protective line
Holdovers: Adam Gotsis, Roy Robertson-Harris, Dawuane Smoot, Malcolm Brown, Jay Tufele, DaVon Hamilton
Newcomers: Folorunso Fatukasi, Arden Key, De’Shaan Dixon, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Raequan Williams
Outlook: The Jaguars’ rush defense improved from 30th in 2020, to 23rd by 2021. They also added Fatukasi who is considered a strong run defender. Hamilton and Tufele need to improve their nose tackle. It was smart and economical to bring Gotsis back. Although he’s not flashy, he’s a solid player like Brown and Robertson Harris. Smoot is a solid pass-rusher (he has accumulated 17.5 sacks over the last three seasons).
Linebacker
Holdovers: Josh Allen, K’Lavon Chaisson, Shaquille Quarterman, Chapelle Russell, Jordan Smith, Tyrell Adams, Jamir Jones
Newcomers: Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd, Chad Muma, Foyesade Oluokun, Grant Morgan, Rashod Berry
Outlook: No. Walker will be the outside linebacker for the Jags. The Jaguars haven’t said much about their plans for using rookies Lloyd and Muma or free-agent addition Oluokun, who led the NFL in tackles last season, but Lloyd could spend some time as a pass-rusher and Walker could work inside on third downs (the way the Jaguars did with Calais Campbell From 2017 to ’19. This position group saw the most substantial upgrade with three draft picks, Lloyd, Muma and an important free agent signing (Oluokun).
Cornerback
Holdovers: Shaquill Griffin, Tyson Campbell, Chris Claybrooks, Tre Herndon
Newcomers: Darious Williams, Montaric Brown, Xavier Crawford, Gregory Junior, Shabari Davis, Benjie Franklin, Josh Thompson
Outlook: Griffin claimed he had four interceptions last season, and that he has since made working on catching the ball This offseason, his highest priority was to make sure he is healthy. Campbell was brought in in the second half, but Williams may be added in free agency. Claybrooks, a speedster, has earned a spot on special teams and has performed well when forced to play a major role on defense.
Safety
Holdovers: Andre Cisco, Rudy Ford, Rayshawn Jenkins, Daniel Thomas, Andrew Wingard, Brandon Rusnak
Newcomers: Ayo Oyelola
Outlook: The Jaguars couldn’t address every position of need this offseason, and safety is the team’s biggest question heading into the 2022 season. Cisco didn’t play much until late in 2021, and the hope is he emerges as the starter at free safety. Jenkins was the first to play there, before he suffered an ankle injury that required him to miss the last three games. Ford was also a nickel back, so he got plenty of playing time.
Special teams
Holdovers: Punter Logan Cooke, long-snapper Ross Matiscik
Newcomers: Kickers Ryan Santoso, Andrew Mevis
Outlook: After the team had cut kicker Matthew Wright Because he was unable to kick off the ball in the end zone, Santoso will be battling Mevis throughout camp.