JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars open the 2024 NFL regular season at the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 8 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Owner Shad Khan invested $492.75 million ($249.9 million fully guaranteed) in new contracts for Josh Hines-Allen, Trevor Lawrence and Tyson Campbell in the offseason and has twice said that he expects the Jaguars to win now. Lawrence said that this is the most talented roster the Jaguars have had since he got here in 2021. The team added WR Gabe Davis in free agency and WR Brian Thomas Jr. at the NFL draft.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. Here is a projection for the Jaguars:
QUARTERBACK (2): Trevor Lawrence, Mac Jones
Pressure is even higher on Lawrence in his third season with his new contract (five years, $275 million). Jaguars hope to get C.J. Beathard, who suffered a groin injury in the second preseason game, on the practice squad.
RUNNING BACK (4): Travis Etienne Jr., Tank Bigsby, D'Ernest Johnson, Jalen Jackson
Fifth-round pick Keilan Robinson has a toe injury -- he was still in a protective boot last week -- and is a candidate for one of the two new injured reserve spots (players don't have to make 53-man roster before being placed on IR and can return during the season). They don't know what they have in him at this point. Jackson, an undrafted rookie from Villanova, has flashed throughout camp.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Gabe Davis, Brian Thomas Jr., Christian Kirk, Devin Duvernay, Parker Washington, Tim Jones
Thomas had a shaky start to camp but has steadily improved and was the offensive star in joint practices with Tampa Bay. Washington has been one of the team's most improved players. The final spot comes down to Jones and Elijah Cooks, and Jones gets the nod because of his special teams ability. Cooks could end up on the practice squad, but if the Jaguars opt to keep seven receivers that would likely mean they go short at running back.
TIGHT ENDS (3): Evan Engram, Brenton Strange, Luke Farrell
The only tight end with more catches over the past two seasons than Engram (187) is Travis Kelce (203). The Jaguars say they're committed to getting Strange more involved in the offense after he had just five catches as a rookie second-round pick in 2023.
OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Cam Robinson, Ezra Cleveland, Mitch Morse, Brandon Scherff, Anton Harrison, Walker Little, Javon Foster, Cooper Hodges, Luke Fortner, Cole Van Lanen
Morse takes over as the center but there are still questions about the guards (Scherff and Cleveland) staying healthy. That interior was the weak spot last season and the main reason the Jaguars struggled to run the ball, especially in short yardage. Injuries did play a role in that, and all five starters are healthy at this point.
DEFENSIVE LINE (9): Arik Armstead, Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, DaVon Hamilton, Trevis Gipson, Roy Robertson-Harris, Tyler Lacy, Maason Smith, Jordan Jefferson
This is arguably the deepest position group, especially now that Hamilton (back) is healthy again. Armstead, who spent most of camp on PUP, Hines-Allen and Walker gives the Jaguars a good group of pass rushers, but there's uncertainty about where the production will come from after those three. Smith has been the most impressive defensive rookie.
LINEBACKERS (6): Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, Chad Muma, Ventrell Miller, Caleb Johnson, Yasir Abdullah
Lloyd moves into the middle but Oluokun will still call the defense as the weakside linebacker. Muma seems to be a better fit in new coordinator Ryan Nielsen's defense as a strongside linebacker. If Miller can stay healthy, he will fit into the rotation but mainly pay on special teams. Abdullah, who played just 45 snaps last season as a rookie, could get time as a pass rusher.
CORNERBACKS (5): Tyson Campbell, Ronald Darby, Jarrian Jones, De'Antre Prince, Christian Braswell
Campbell signed a four-year, $76.5 million contract extension just before camp. He played at a high level in 2022, but a hamstring injury led to a disappointing 2023. Nielsen's defense demands a lot of man coverage so that's going to put a lot of pressure on Campbell and Darby to play at a high level. Braswell has been one of the defense's most improved players.
SAFETIES (5): Andre Cisco, Antonio Johnson, Darnell Savage, Daniel Thomas, Terrell Edmunds
Savage is the starting nickel back but will play safety depending on the rotation and situation -- same for Johnson. Cisco is in the final year of his rookie contract and the Jaguars want to see him elevate his game before offering him an extension. The Jaguars will use the new IR rule on Andrew Wingard (knee) and Tashaun Gipson Sr. will be placed on the reserve/suspended list and miss the first six games of the season.
SPECIALISTS (3): Logan Cooke, Cam Little, Ross Matiscik
Little won the job over Riley Patterson early in camp. Matiscik is coming off a Pro Bowl season and Cooke has put more punts inside the 10-yard line (70) than any other punter since he entered the league in 2018.