Heading into Week 2 of the preseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars, where do the team’s key roster battles currently stand?
With three weeks of training camp practices, two scrimmages, and one preseason game played at this point, we’ve got a decent sample size to evaluate.
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So, based on what we’ve seen and heard coming out of Jaguars‘ camp, here is where things potentially stand at a number of positional battles.
Jaguars running back position
The running back room is crowded, but according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Jaguars will keep four backs on their 53-man roster and use a committee approach throughout the season. But when it comes to who might control that playing time, at least based on workload in training camp, Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby are at the top of the depth chart, with Etienne in particular getting a lot of first-team looks over the last week-plus.
Jaguars backup tight end
Hunter Long and Johnny Mundt are competing for this role. Again, this is a position where we will see both players on the field, and while a well-rounded skill set is always valuable, this is likely to be a blocking-first role. So whoever can stand out in that regard may have the playing time advantage. It’s difficult to gauge where this competition stands, but I would give Long the edge with Mundt having missed some time with injury.
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Jaguars’ offensive line configuration
As Liam Coen said recently, the competition is still very much ongoing up front, and with that, we’ve seen a lot of mixing and matching, especially as of late. But by my estimation, the right side of the line is more unsettled than the left. It would appear that Chuma Edoga has taken control of the right guard spot, while Patrick Mekari has seen some right tackle snaps when Anton Harrison has been sidelined.
Final roster spot or two at wide receiver
There is one to two roster spots available here, depending on whether the Jaguars keep five or six wideouts. The favorites based on production up to this point seem to be Trenton Irwin and Josh Cephus. However, keep your eyes on Eli Pancol, who has embraced the dirty work that comes with playing receiver in this offense, along with Austin Trammell, who has flashed in the passing game and was the lead return man in the preseason opener.
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Defensive tackle depth chart
When healthy, we know that Arik Armstead, DaVon Hamilton, and Maason Smith will make up the defensive tackle position. But that leaves for sure one and maybe two roster spots–and some potential playing time in a rotational role–up for grabs. The recently signed Austin Johnson has steadily made plays since arriving in Jacksonville in early August. Jordan Jefferson and Tyler Lacy are also vying for a roster spot.
A crowded linebacker unit
Devin Lloyd and Foye Oluokun will be starting–we know that. Dennis Gardeck seems to be the third linebacker when the Jaguars are in their base 4-3 look. I’d also say Ventrell Miller is locked into one of the backup roles. That leaves Yasir Abdullah, Jack Kiser, Chad Muma, and Jalen McLeod competing for one or maybe two roster spots if the Jaguars go heavy and keep six linebackers. Under a new GM and head coach, the draft picks are always going to have the advantage.
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Back end of the cornerback depth chart
Assuming the Jaguars roster six cornerbacks, that leaves one spot on the 53-man available. After this week, it would appear that Christian Braswell is penciled into that roster spot. Early in the week when Tyson Campbell was first sidelined, it was Braswell who started opposite of Jarrian Jones. He then made a few plays during Thursday’s scrimmage.
Who is starting next to Eric Murray?
Andrew Wingard, Darnell Savage, and Antonio Johnson are all competing for those starting snaps. Based on opportunities with the ones and playing time in the first preseason game, Wingard may have the upper hand currently. With that said, we will see more three safety looks under Anthony Campanile.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars preseason: Evaluating where 8 positional battles stand