The Jacksonville Jaguars will cut its roster to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Saturday. Here’s a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Nick Foles, Gardner Minshew
Minshew locked up the No. 2 spot with his performance in the second preseason game. His growth from the first game was impressive. He was calmer, more decisive and more confident. Foles has never played a full season, so there’s a chance Minshew will have to play at some point.
RUNNING BACK (4): Leonard Fournette, Alfred Blue, Ryquell Armstead, Thomas Rawls
Fournette has had a great camp and there are indications he could be headed for a big season. Armstead might end up as Fournette’s primary backup by the end of the season, but that role should fall to Blue early. He’s played in 72 games the past five seasons and is a solid veteran presence in the running backs room.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook, Chris Conley, DJ Chark, Keelan Cole, Tre McBride
Westbrook turned into the Jaguars’ best offensive playmaker last season and is the Jaguars’ No. 1 receiver right now. Conley will get more opportunities here than he did in Kansas City. Chark had a good camp, but tailed off a bit at the end. The choice for the final spot likely comes down to McBride or C.J. Board. Terrelle Pryor didn’t stand out in camp and got hurt in the third preseason game (hamstring).
TIGHT END (4): Geoff Swaim, Josh Oliver, James O’Shaughnessy, Charles Jones
Swaim and Oliver appear to be on track to play in the opener, but expectations for Oliver should be low because the rookie from San Jose State will have had minimal, if any, snaps in the preseason. The Jaguars really like Jones, especially as a blocker, and might not want to risk cutting him.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Cam Robinson, Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, Will Richardson, Jawaan Taylor, A.J. Cann, Cedric Ogbuehi, Josh Wells, Tyler Shatley
The Jaguars had their starting offensive line together in the third preseason game, which is the first time the projected starting lineup has been on the field at the same time since Week 2 last season. Richardson and Cann are battling for the right guard spot. OT Leonard Wester had caught the eye of OL coach George Warhop, but Wester performed poorly in the preseason and that means Wells should stick around.
DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Yannick Ngakoue, Marcell Dareus, Abry Jones, Calais Campbell, Josh Allen, Lerentee McCray, Dawuane Smoot, Taven Bryan, Datone Jones, Dontavius Russell
Definitely the most talented position on the roster, and the addition of Allen (drafted seventh overall) gives defensive coordinator Todd Wash a versatile player to move around. Smoot made strides this offseason and won a spot but Bryan, the team’s first-round pick in 2018, seems stuck where he was last season. The Jaguars won’t give up on him, though. Jones is a nice addition who can play the big end behind Campbell.
LINEBACKER (5): Myles Jack, Leon Jacobs, Quincy Williams, Najee Goode, Ramik Wilson. (Jake Ryan on PUP)
The Jaguars need even more big plays out of Jack to offset the loss of Telvin Smith. Williams was ahead of where the staff hoped he’d be when he suffered a meniscus injury, which was a huge setback for a rookie from Murray State. Having his first NFL snaps come in the season opener against Kansas City is less than ideal. Goode likely will be the starter at weakside linebacker for the early part of the season. Ryan had a setback to his knee injury in the offseason.
SECONDARY (10): Jalen Ramsey, A.J. Bouye, Ronnie Harrison, Jarrod Wilson, D.J. Hayden, Breon Borders, Tre Herndon, Cody Davis, C.J. Reavis, Josh Robinson
Ramsey and Bouye are one of the best corner duos in the league. Bouye missed time early in camp with a hamstring injury and that gave Herndon a lot of work with the first-team defense and he responded with a solid camp. Wilson and Reavis battled for the starting free safety spot. Davis is good special-teams player. Robinson, an eight-year veteran, can play corner and safety.
SPECIALIST (3): K Josh Lambo, P Logan Cooke, LS Matt Overton
There was no competition for any of these players in camp.