The Jacksonville Jaguars have to be excited about the upcoming season as training camp opened this past week. They are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, and are ready to go out and prove that their run to the AFC Championship game last season was no fluke. However, now a team that is being considered a contender, that means that training camp is about putting the best team on the field. In doing so, that means there will be some hard decisions made regarding starting spots and who makes the roster.
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
STRONG-SIDE LINEBACKER
With the retirement of long time middle linebacker Paul Posluszny after the 2017 season, Myles Jack moves inside. The move leaves the SAM linebacker spot open for competition. Fan theory pegged 2017 fifth-round pick Blair Brown (above) to slide into the SAM position. However, it has been 2018 seventh-round pick Leon Jacobs who has started the first few days of camp. Brown will undoubtably make the roster, but will have to work twice as hard in order to secure a starting spot.
(Photo: John Raoux/ AP)
WIDE RECEIVER DEPTH
As it stands now, there are 11 receivers on the Jaguars roster. Everyone knows that there are usually only five or six that make the final roster. The presumed receiver depth chart will most certainly feature Marqise Lee, Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole, newcomer Donte Moncrief and second-round pick D.J. Chark (above).
That leaves one spot open for six receivers, which hinges on if the team wants to keep six receivers. The Jaguars like Jaydon Mickens as a special teams guy who can return punts and kickoffs, but Rashad Greene has had his best camp in four years with the team doing the same thing. This doesn’t even include Shane Wynn (who impressed the Jaguars last year in camp) or Alan Lazard, an undrafted rookie. The team will have tough decisions to make with this group.
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
RUNNING BACK DEPTH
Although it isn’t the most important position battle, it could be one of the more interesting ones. We all know that Leonard Fournette will be the RB1 for the Jaguars, but after that nothing is solid. The Jags cut Chris Ivory after the season after two dismal years and placed a second-round tender on Corey Grant. Grant (above) had a great year in a spot role and looks ready for a heavier workload.
That should cause concern for former second-round pick T.J Yeldon. Yeldon, once projected as a starter, has been relegated to pass-blocking and third-down duties over the past two years. Throw in a strong camp by second-year running back Tim Cook, and the running back depth chart could look a lot different than it did last year.
Featured image by Logan Bowles via AP Images
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