Final 53-man roster decisions now loom for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
All teams must have their initial 53-man rosters set by 4:00 PM ET on Tuesday.
So, with about six weeks’ worth of information from training camp, a joint practice, and three preseason games, here is how we see the Jaguars‘ final 53-man roster shaking out.
Quarterback (2)
Trevor Lawrence, Nick Mullens
The Jaguars could roster a third quarterback, but my guess is they keep either John Wolford or Seth Henigan on the practice squad and use that roster spot at another position.
Running back (4)
Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that the Jaguars plan to keep four running backs and use a committee approach this season. Liam Coen seemed to acknowledge that when discussing the position recently.
Wide receiver (5)
Dyami Brown, Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, Travis Hunter, Austin Trammell
The fifth wide receiver spot has been up for grabs all summer. Perhaps I’m a prisoner of the moment, with it seeming like Trenton Irwin had a firm grasp on this role, but Irwin showcased his ability to help out in a variety of ways this preseason. He was a return man, led the team in receiving against Miami, had two carries in the run game, and can line up inside and out, which is important in Coen’s offense.
Tight end (3)
Johnny Mundt, Hunter Long, Brenton Strange
Practice squad elevations can help the Jaguars bolster the game-day depth at tight end if needed. Quintin Morris could be the fourth option here, but Mundt and Long already provide a blocking-heavy presence at the position.
Offensive line (10)
Walker Little, Ezra Cleveland, Robert Hainsey, Patrick Mekari, Anton Harrison, Chuma Edoga, Fred Johnson, Wyatt Milum, Jonah Monheim, Cole Van Lanen
For the unknowns with this position, putting the roster projection together has seemed fairly straightforward. The question here is whether Van Lanen is healthy enough to make the initial 53, but I think the Jaguars value him off the bench as a swing tackle.
Defensive line (10)
Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Dawuane Smoot, Arik Armstead, Maason Smith, DaVon Hamilton, Emmanuel Ogbah, Khalen Saunders, Austin Johnson, BJ Green
Austin Johnson was inactive against Miami and has steadily made plays since joining the Jaguars late in camp. Coen said that Green and Danny Striggow were competing for a potential final roster spot. I went with Green, who has been slightly more productive this preseason.
Linebackers (6)
Devin Lloyd, Foyesade Oluokun, Yasir Abdullah, Ventrell Miller, Dennis Gardeck, Jack Kiser
IR designated to return: Jalen McLeod
On the Jaguars’ unofficial depth chart, the third linebacker role in Anthony Campanile’s 4-3 defensive scheme has been listed as Abdullah or Gardeck. Abdullah then played just eight snaps against Miami. In a crowded room, I left off Chad Muma. Jack Kiser took control of a backup role with his steady playmaking this summer and can help on teams as well.
Cornerback (5)
Tyson Campbell, Jourdan Lewis, Jarrian Jones, Montaric Brown, Christian Braswell
Travis Hunter is obviously included here as well. A few weeks ago, when Campbell was sidelined, Braswell took the first-team snaps at cornerback. At that time, it became clear that he was positioned well to make the team.
Safety (5)
Eric Murray, Darnell Savage, Antonio Johnson, Rayuan Lane, Andrew Wingard
IR designated to return: Caleb Ransaw
Just this past week, Coen said Ransaw was week-to-week. So my guess is he starts the season on IR and has to miss at least the first four games. With Lane able to be a core special teams contributor, I put him on the roster over Daniel Thomas.
Special teams (3)
Logan Cooke, Ross Matiscik, Cam Little
There’s no mystery here.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars 53-man roster: Final projection after preseason finale