A major storyline throughout training camp and the preseason are the positional battles that take place. However, the reality for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the rest of the NFL is that the majority of the roster spots on the 53-man are already accounted for.
By my estimation, I have a hefty 49 players on this Jaguars roster who I fully expect to be on the initial 53-man roster when it’s announced in a few days–along with a few near locks as well. That means just four roster spots–or so–are up for grabs.
Here is who those roster locks are and why.
Quarterback: 2
- Trevor Lawrence
- Nick Mullens
A key aspect of bringing Mullens in was his familiarity with Liam Coen’s offense, having played in Minnesota under Kevin O’Connell. The Jaguars will want that experience alongside Lawrence this season.
Running backs: 4
- Travis Etienne
- Tank Bigsby
- Bhayshul Tuten
- LeQuint Allen
As Coen acknowledged, getting four backs active on game days will be a challenge and probably won’t happen every week. Then there is making sure those players get enough touches. However, all signs seem to point to the Jaguars keeping their four running backs and making it work.
Tight end: 3
- Brenton Strange
- Johnny Mundt
- Hunter Long
These three are locked in. The big question here is, can Quintin Morris be the fourth tight end, or do the Jaguars roster just three?
Wide receiver: 4
- Brian Thomas Jr.
- Dyami Brown
- Travis Hunter
- Parker Washington
Trenton Irwin seems to have a firm grasp on the fifth wide receiver role, although the recent Devaughn Vele trade tells us that GM James Gladstone may still be looking to add to this position.
Offensive line: 9
- Walker Little
- Ezra Cleveland
- Robert Hainsey
- Patrick Mekari
- Chuma Edoga
- Anton Harrison
- Fred Johnson
- Jonah Monheim
- Wyatt Milum
For a position that still has its question marks, it feels odd to call this many players locks, but I feel confident about each of these players being on the team.
Defensive line: 8
- Josh Hines-Allen
- Travon Walker
- Dawuane Smoot
- Emmanuel Ogbah
- Arik Armstead
- DaVon Hamilton
- Maason Smith
- Khalen Saunders
At either of the defensive end and tackle positions, the Jaguars could roster a fifth player. Who has stepped up at either of those positions to earn a roster spot? Tyler Lacy, Austin Johnson, and Jordan Jefferson at tackle are the three names to watch.
Linebacker: 6
- Devin Lloyd
- Foye Oluokun
- Ventrell Miller
- Dennis Gardeck
- Jack Kiser
- Jalen McLeod
Rostering six linebackers isn’t normal around the NFL–usually it’s five. So the fact that I have six locks seems a bit bold; however, I’m not sure who to release from this group. Lloyd and Oluokun will start. Gardeck is the third linebacker in Anthony Campanile’s 4-3 defense, Miller seems locked into a backup role, while Kiser and McLeod are draft picks. Perhaps with Gardeck and McLeod both able to rush off the edge, that allows the Jaguars to go light at defensive end to keep an additional linebacker.
Cornerback: 4
- Tyson Campbell
- Jourdan Lewis
- Montaric Brown
- Jarrian Jones
Hunter will be in this mix as well. There is likely one more roster spot open here, and I would put Christian Braswell in the near-lock category. When Campbell was out, he was working with the ones.
Safety: 6
- Eric Murray
- Andrew Wingard
- Darnell Savage
- Antonio Johnson
- Caleb Ransaw
- Rayuan Lane
This position is like linebacker. Do the Jaguars keep six safeties? That would be abnormal, but again, I’m not sure who to release. Murray is starting, while Wingard, Savage, and Johnson have been competing for the snaps next to him all summer. Ransaw is a third-round pick, while Lane is a draft pick as well and can help on special teams right away. With Ransaw still week to week, his injury could impact his initial roster status.
Special teams: 3
- Cam Little
- Logan Cooke
- Ross Matiscik
No mystery here.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars roster projection: Only 4 openings on 53-man