1. The Jaguars threw ball almost twice as much as the ran it in the preseason, and the roster reflects that. The Jaguars have 10 WRs and TEs on the roster, meaning this will be the most pass happy team under Jack Del Rio. Anyone familiar with Dirk Koetter's teams at Arizona State remember that he threw the ball practically every down. I'm sure he had a hand in the offensive roster.
2. We all knew this year's draft class would have a big impact, and it showed today. Several UDFA and all picks (sans Tiquan Underwood) made the roster. The first four picks (Monroe, Britton, Knighton, and Cox) will be starters on opening day. If things work out for this class, this will be the core from which the Jaguars will be built over the next few years.
3. Once again Gene shows that he doesn't give a damn who you are by cutting Brian Williams and Tony Pashos. I agree that both moves needed to be made in light of the preseason, though I thought Williams might have been saved by the depth he provided in the back field.
4. If nothing else, I believe this roster points to a make or break year for David Garrard. The offensive side of the ball is tailor made to throw it 30 times a game if need be, and Garrard won't have any excuses if the offense fails to deliver this year.
5. Fair well Joe Z. Hopefully you can get a career in radio somewhere in the Jacksonville area. I'm going to miss you in Teal.
6. Luke McCown, Luke McCown. Well, he's got to be an upgrade over Todd Bouman, right? If nothing else, McCown provides the Jaguars a QB that can step in for 3-4 games and not tank the Jaguars season.
7. Any thoughts of the Jaguars running a 3-4 died in the first preseason game in Miami. The Jaguars kept 10 defensive linemen compared to just six linebackers.
Biggest Surprise: I could go Brian Williams or Tony Pashos here, but I think both of these were looking more and more likely as the date neared. I'm sure both were optioned around on the trading block with little in return, so I have a more suitable answer. The biggest surprise was cutting Chauncey Washington. Washington had the best preseason out of all of the running backs and I thought was a lock for a roster spot.
Move We Should've Seen Coming: The Jaguars keeping six wide receivers (really seven counting Ernest Wilford) is a move that had been talked about for awhile. However, I don't think anyone was seriously thinking it would happen. However, the wide receiving corp showed it was one of the strengths of the preseason and deserved to gain the extra spot.
Looking between the lines: Almost all of Gene Smith's draft picks made it onto the final roster this year. Even some who were questionable (Mike Thomas, Zach Miller) ended up on the final roster and not sent to waivers. On the flip side, we saw many Shack Harris players let go. Was this on purpose or did Gene honestly think these were the best 53 players?
Where to go from here: Assuming the Jaguars don't bring in one of the many young QBs that were let go last night, I expect them to try and get another running back at some point. The Jaguars only have 2 true running backs on the roster right now and a third one would provide some extra security.
-Jonathan Loesche