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Pre-Preseason 53-Man Roster Prediction

It's a little early to know for sure, but here's my attempt at predicting the 53-man roster, based on the things that I've heard through training camp coverage. Before we begin though, I'd like to provide the Jaguars' unofficial depth chart going into Preseason Game 1, via SI's John Shipley:

For all intents and purposes, the depth chart above is near meaningless. Urban Meyer has intentionally listed rookie players further down the depth chart, to give them the feeling that they must 'earn' their position in the preseason. I used this as a baseline for my prediction, but there are obvious deviations based on years experience vs. overall talent.

Without further ado, my thoughts on the cutdown to 53 players, which will need to be made by the time the regular season arrives:

Position

#

Players

QB

2

Trevor Lawrence, Gardner Minshew

RB

4

James Robinson, Travis Etienne, Carlos Hyde, Devine Ozigbo

TE

4

James O' Shaughnessy, Chris Manhertz, Luke Farrell, Tim Tebow

WR

6

DJ Chark, Marvin Jones Jr., Laviska Shenault, Laquon Treadwell, Collin Johnson, Jamal Agnew

OL

9

Cam Robinson, Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, AJ Cann, Jawaan Taylor, Walker Little, Ben Bartch, Tyler Shatley, Will Richardson Jr.

DL

7

Malcom Brown, Dawuane Smoot, Jay Tufele, DaVon Hamilton, Doug Costin, Roy Robertson-Harris, Adam Gotsis

LB

7

Josh Allen, Jihad Ward, Damien Wilson, Shaq Quarterman, Myles Jack, K'Lavon Chaisson, Lerentee McCray

CB

5

Shaq Griffin, Sidney Jones IV, Tre Herndon, Tyson Campbell, C.J. Henderson

S

6

Rayshawn Jenkins, Jarrod Wilson, Andre Cisco, Josh Jones, Daniel Thomas, Rudy Ford

ST

3

Josh Lambo, Logan Cooke, Ross Matiscik

Pro-PS

4

CJ Beathard, Tavon Austin, Jalen Camp, Jordan Smith

PS

6

Ben Ellefson, Trevour Wallace-Simms, Dylan Moses, DJ Daniel, Chris Claybrooks (6 Open Spots; 4 Open to 2+ Year Vets)

Notable cuts: Dare Ogunbowale, Phillip Dorsett II, Taven Bryan, Quincy Williams, Andrew Wingard

We’ll start on the offensive side of the ball first. I have Dare getting the axe by the end of the preseason, but this is probably the biggest guess that I made in the process. He’s still listed as the #4 back in the unofficial depth chart. And reports from camp have been positive when it comes to his pass protection (John Shipley saying he's been the best at it in camp). But I just have a gut feeling that Urban will opt for more versatility in his backup third-down back. Ozigbo’s pass-catching ability seems to be a little better than Ogunbowale’s, and his skill set more closely resembles Etienne’s. In the end, I think that this will give the edge to Ozigbo.

Phillip Dorsett was one of the early targets in FA, though it was a signing that came without any guaranteed money. This makes him an easy cut from a financial perspective. Dorsett has speed for days, which made him an ideal candidate to join Meyer's squad. But even though he's fast, Agnew has been the preferred player for the KR position. While Dorsett looked good early in camp, both Collin Johnson and Tavon Austin outplayed him and saw a higher majority of reps. Collin Johnson had a great camp, and I don't see Dorsett making the squad over him.

And now we move to the other side of the ball. Taven Bryan's training camp was... not ideal. After being placed in the Covid/NFI protocol to start camp, Bryan eventually showed up with what appeared to be a black eye. He hasn't flashed much during camp, and has been relegated to third-string DL reps. While his raw athleticism is undeniable, Bryan hasn't been able to capitalize on his potential. I'm just not sure his head and heart are in the game, which spells bad news when you're trying to earn a position on a team whose motto is, 'Own It.' Because he missed a decent portion of camp, I think the Wyoming Wildman barely misses the cut.

And finally, we'll group the last two cuts together. Quincy Williams and Andrew Wingard just haven't made much news during camp. In my opinion, Quincy's had a difficult time adjusting to the speed of the NFL game after his time at Murray State. He's listed as the third-string WLB in the unofficial depth chart, behind the likes of Chapelle Russell. While Quincy's known for his explosive tackling ability, he just doesn't possess the coverage skills that Urban wants in his Will backer. Wingard is just worse than the other safeties on the roster now. And while he's decent at special teams, he's no Rudy Ford or Daniel Thomas. Unfortunately, Dewey loses to the numbers game.

There's a good chance that things shake out differently during the course of the preseason. I could see Ogunbowale making it over Ozigbo, as mentioned above. I chose to keep 6 safeties on the roster because that group can really contribute on Special Teams, but chances are Meyer will want a backup to Myles Jack at the Will (maybe Dakota Allen). And, of course, since the Jaguars are first on the waiver wire, we could see a few players poached from other teams before the start of the season. So, what are your thoughts on my prediction?

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