Jaguars vs. Giants: Who needs to stand out?

When the Jacksonville Jaguars take the field on Saturday night against the New York Giants, I'm sure all eyes will be on quarterback Blake Bortles.

C'mon, that's just a given at this point.

But when we aren't focusing on Bortles, who should we be watching for to have a good showing? As we near the start of the regular season, we need to be seriously watching other key Jaguars players and observe how they have come along this offseason.

Marcedes Lewis

With Julius Thomas injuring his hand last week and declared out for the preseason, I started to wonder (after crying) if Marcedes Lewis would be up to the task of returning to the No. 1 tight end spot. After filling the role for nine years, some productive and some, well, not so productive seasons, it should be thought that he will be able to handle the job.

Yes, given that it would only be for a few weeks of preseason games, the job probably won't be that bad for him. But the Jaguars went out and signed Julius Thomas to a five-year, $47 million dollar deal to replace Lewis as the team's No. 1 tight end.

The buzz is that Marcedes is enjoying his new role in the offense as a blocking tight end and being used in two-tight end sets. According to head coach Gus Bradley, Lewis has had his best training camp since Bradley arrived in Jacksonville. Lewis is confident as well, stating that "[2015] has been my best camp yet."

And the first preseason game gave us glimpses as to how Lewis will be used and how the offense will improve as a result of his new place. For example, look at the route below. The offense is spread, the routes open up the middle, and Lewis makes an easy grab for a first down.

If Julius goes down again during the regular season, I want to know that Marcedes still has some gas left in the tank. I want to see it against the Giants.

Demetrius McCray

Don't get mad at me, this isn't what it looks like!

During training camp, team scrimmage, and the first preseason game, the names you constantly hear from the cornerback group are Aaron Colvin, Davon House, Nick Marshall, and maybe some Dwayne Gratz. The name you haven't heard much at all is Demetrius McCray.

Last year, McCray went from being a seventh-round draft pick to a potential breakout star. According to ProFootballFocus.com, McCray ranked fourth in the league last year on yards per cover snap (yards the corner allowed on a per-snap basis) and allowed just 0.78 yards per snap on 432 snaps. Less than a yard per snap.

The reason why I say he needs to have a good showing is because we haven't heard his name much at all recently. Is that a bad thing? Is that a good thing? We don't know, but the best way to make us feel confident after a quiet couple of weeks of camp is for McCray to have a good game and make some plays on Saturday night.

So, who do you think needs to have a showing against the Giants?