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The Jacksonville Jaguars released the initial official 2018 depth chart on Tuesday, leading up to the practice for their Week 1 meeting with the New York Giants. As expected, the depth chart had very surprises on either side of the ball. I was planning on writing a piece on both sides of the ball with some thoughts on the depth chart and what it meant for certain players, but uh... they pretty much went chalk so there isn’t much to really break down.
Here’s a few quick thoughts:
Offense
It’s still weird that the Jaguars kept only three tight ends and three running backs on the active 53, but I guess you could argue they’re floating one of each on the practice squad anyway. The running back chart is chalk, however it is interesting that James O’Shaughnessy got the nod over Niles Paul.
Defense
On the defensive line rookie first round pick Taven Bryan gets the nod as the first one off the bench over Dawuane Smoot. Not a huge surprise, but the bigger surprise is probably that Smoot made the roster considering how much time he missed. I’d guess he’s inactive most games.
In the secondary I expected Ronnie Harrison to be the primary backup at both safety spots, but it seems they’ve split it between Harrison and Jarrod Wilson as strong and free, respectively.
Special Teams
Here’s where the real “surprise” comes in, as Rashad Greene Sr. isn’t even listed as a returner. Jaydon Mickens won the punt return and likely 53-man roster spot outright, as evidenced by not playing in the final preseason game, but that also signals to me that Greene is potentially who ends up getting the axe when Dante Fowler Jr. returns after his Week 1 suspension.