What are the most intriguing Jacksonville Jaguars position battles as training camp nears?

In just a few short weeks, the Jacksonville Jaguars will take to the practice fields for training camp, a grueling stretch of practices and workouts ahead of the 2025 regular season.

Jaguars rookies will report for training camp July 19, with veterans following July 22. The team will also hold joint practices with the Miami Dolphins during the third week of the preseason ahead of their game in South Florida on Aug. 23. They’ll practice with the team on Aug. 21.

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The Jaguars are entering this year’s training camp with major changes made to their coaching staff, front office and roster this year. The team is now led by first-time head coach Liam Coen, general manager James Gladstone and EVP of Football Operations Tony Boselli.

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Gone from the roster are several key veterans acquired during the Doug Pederson era, including receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram, two staples of the team’s growing offense over the last few years.

After saying goodbye to the majority of the team’s free agents, in addition to their top two playmakers, the Jaguars brought in 10 unrestricted free agents during the first couple of waves of free agency. The team essentially reset their secondary with the addition of nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis and safety Eric Murray, allowing veteran S Andre Cisco to walk in free agency.

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The team also addressed their offensive line, signing multiple players, including projected starters, guard Patrick Mekari and Robert Hainsey.

The team’s biggest move of the offseason, though, was the acquisition of two-way player Travis Hunter, who is expected to be the first modern-era player to take the field on both sides of the ball on an, essentially, full-time basis.

Ahead of breaking for camp, Coen shared his thoughts on what he expects from the players as they head to their summer vacation.

“We’ve got to come back in the best possible physical shape that we can be in coming into training camp, not use training camp to get in shape,” Coen said.

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“That’s got to be something that we’re hitting the ground running and able to just go once we get in here. And they’ve got a lot of studying to do. They’ve got a lot of material to continue to cover, so that again, we’re not starting back at square one when we come back in training camp.”

Before we make any predictions about the upcoming season, though, there are a few potential training camp roster battles that fans ought to watch out for.

What Jaguars training camp roster battles should you watch for?

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, left, talks with Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, right, after the. Jacksonville Jaguars’ mandatory minicamp Tuesday June 10, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

The Jaguars are entering one of their most competitive training camps in years. With a slew of new evaluators and coaches, the players will be watched like hawks to determine the best 53 players to carry through the regular season.

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While roster cuts are still a ways away, there are a few position groups that deserve highlighting ahead of camp later in July. While these aren’t the only groups that will be competitive in July, the team’s offensive line, running back and safety position deserve some extra attention.

Jaguars offensive line will continue to shuffle

Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Line Coach Shaun Sarrett coaches Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen (70) during the fourth organized team activity at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Tuesday, May 27, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

The Jaguars are dedicated to addressing their offensive line. The team ranked 19th in run blocking, according to Pro Football Focus metrics, while failing to muster a running game, ranking 26th.

The season resulted in a slew of changes, including three out of the team’s five starting offensive linemen from Week 1 last season now off the roster. That includes left tackle Cam Robinson, center Mitch Morse and right guard Brandon Scherff. Robinson was traded in the middle of last season, Morse retired and Scherff was released.

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The team brought in Mekari and Hainsey to replace the latter two, while Walker Little remains in pole position to start at left tackle after receiving a contract extension late last year from the previous regime.

Jacksonville’s offensive line competition can’t really begin until pads go on, but both tackle positions will be worth watching. Little is likely to retain his spot as the team’s left tackle, but former first-round right tackle Anton Harrison could face some pressure. Coen shared his impressions of Harrison earlier in June.

“I think obviously the footwork, the athleticism, the ability to pass-pro on an edge. When Anton wants to go, he can go. Just consistently doing it on a day-in, day-out basis,” Coen said. “Smart, he understands the ‘why’ of what we’re trying to get accomplished. As much as he can continue to rise going into year three as a first-round pick, to take a huge step this year and be a lockdown tackle for us.”

The team also selected third-round tackle-turned-guard Wyatt Milum to compete with left guard Ezra Cleveland, one of two returning Week 1 starters from a season ago.

Travis Etienne remains on top, but running back position is fluid

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws the ball to running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) during the first organized team activity at Miller Electric Center Monday, May 19, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla.

There’s no question now that the Jaguars at least want people to believe they are heavily invested in running back Travis Etienne. The fifth-year player had been under scrutiny and a player to watch for a potential trade, according to at least one ESPN report. That’s been wholly refuted by Coen, however.

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The fifth-year RB is coming off of his worst season as a pro, rushing for just 558 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s run game struggled as a whole. Still, Etienne’s ability supersedes his letdown season and is expected to remain the team’s top back.

Still, there will be competition for playing time. The Jaguars drafted RB Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round of this year’s draft and he’s expected to compete for playing time alongside Etienne, third-year back Tank Bigsby, among others, including seventh-round pick LeQuint Allen.

It wouldn’t make much sense for Jacksonville to offload Etienne, given their salary cap situation is solid, but don’t be surprised if the speedy back out of Clemson takes a bit of a backseat as a rusher as the team’s running game and his receiving ability evolve.

Jaguars secondary awaits starter at safety

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Antonio Johnson (26) catches a ball during a drill as Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard (42) tries to defend him during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ third mandatory minicamp Thursday June 12, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

Free agent safety acquisition Eric Murray is solidified as one of the team’s starters. Murray looks to bring stability and leadership to the backend of the team’s defense.

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“When you look at safety in particular, the root word there is ‘safe,’ and that’s exactly what Eric provides,” Gladstone said shortly after signing the former Houston Texans safety.

Beyond that, the team’s other safety position appears wide open with Andrew Wingard, Darnell Savage, Antonio Johnson and rookie Caleb Ransaw as potential starters alongside Murray.

Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile provided his breakdown of the team’s safety competition in June. The first-year DC said the group has been positive with each other, helping out along the way, but competing at the same time.

“We have some good guys back there, some smart guys back there, like you said, Dewey, Sav. Having Sav back is awesome too because he’s a sharp dude and has a bunch of ability. I think Caleb’s done a really good job. I think he was coached really well in college, also, because he’s a sharp guy,” Campanile said.

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Caleb Ransaw (27) smiles with safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig (32) during the second mandatory minicamp at Miller Electric Center Wednesday, June 11, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla.

“He’s got clean feet, moves really, really well, good athlete, and he’s doing extra every day too. Just getting caught up, obviously, coming in after those guys, but he’s doing a good job for us.”

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Ransaw is attempting to convert from cornerback in college to safety at the next level. The team could opt to go the veteran route, with Wingard and Savage as the oldest vets in the room besides Murray. Savage was signed by Jacksonville to a three-year, $21.75 million contract with $12.5 million guaranteed last year.

If he remains on the roster through camp, it’d be surprising to see Savage on the bench very often this year.

Wingard was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming in 2019 and has been a spot starter for most of his career, besides the 2021 season when he started 15 games. Wingard has started 28 games in his career, playing in 86. His roster position could come down to starting in addition to his special-teams ability.

Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars training camp: Position battles to watch in 2025