The Jacksonville Jaguars opened their preseason against the New York Jets on Thursday and lost 17-13 but only because Blake Bortles didn’t play after late into the first quarter.
The defense showed itself to have a good amount of depth with Myles Jack at middle linebacker and Jordan Tripp at weakside linebacker, along with a plethora of interior defensive linemen. In fact, there were a lot of players to keep track of, but here’s six who stood out to me.
Blake Bortles
Our William Wallace was the most impressive player on the night. He finished the night 6-for-7 for 105 yards and his only incompletion was a dropped pass by Julius Thomas in the end zone.
Also, look at this catch-and-throw to Allen Robinson. Look at it. LOOK AT IT.
Midseason gotdamn form.
Luke Joeckel
Joeckel wasn’t bad tonight. Seriously. He was physical and showed strength at times, moving guys downfield and clearing holes for Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon. He also played 100% of his snaps at tackle and zero at guard. I will not read anything into this in terms of Kelvin Beachum’s status. I will not read anything into this in terms of Kelvin Beachum’s status. I will not read anything into this in terms of Kelvin Beachum’s status.
Dante Fowler
Our LEO didn’t make a very big splash tonight after being highly touted through the offseason. Pass rushers rely on rhythm and a steady diet of snaps to get some consistent pressure on the quarterback. It’s hard to make a name for yourself when you only have a couple drives to do that but other guys like Yannick and Malik did with about the same amount of time on the field. Watch for him to do better in Week 2 and 3 when he has a lot more snaps.
Yannick Ngakoue
Ngakoue had a sack, go hanx yourself. I know it’s only Week 1 of the preseason but gotdamn, this man may actually #flourish this year. Yannick looked good today. He didn’t look intimidated or overmatched. He looked like he belonged in the few snaps he was given. As he gets more snaps in a game I’ll be excited to see how her adjusts,
Myles Jack
Our second-round pick didn’t get to play with the starters, but he showed himself to be the middle linebacker of the future the Jaguars wanted when they picked him. He’s a great tackler, he was all over the field, and he showed himself to be a more-than-capable option when they need him in obvious passing situations.
Malik Jackson
Look at this pressure and then we’ll continue.
Malik Jackson could be worth every penny this year. (via @FBLRave) pic.twitter.com/pnkWqaF0eP
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) August 12, 2016
This is precisely what the Jaguars needed last year, someone who could get interior pressure and help the outside edge rushers. Malik only got a dozen snaps or so, but I’m excited to see how he does in the preseason.