JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With the preseason in the books, one of the toughest days in the NFL is quickly approaching.
Time to make the cuts.
NFL teams must trim their roster to 53 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday. This is the first time Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer will trim a roster down to only 53 players.
Meyer said after Sunday’s 34-14 win over Dallas in the preseason finale that he has no problem getting rid of guys that are a pain to coach but the Jaguars don’t have many players like that. Looking at the Jaguars roster as a whole, the good news is there are a lot of talented players that have a future in the NFL.
The bad news is that future for some of them won’t be in Jacksonville.
There will be some tough cuts across the roster as Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke try to build the best roster they can while also stashing some talented players on the practice squad. After watching every practice during training camp and all three preseason games, here is how I think the roster will shake out on Tuesday.
Offense
Quarterback (2): Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Beathard.
Cut: Jake Luton (Practice squad).
After the Jaguars traded Gardner Minshew, the quarterback situation became very clear. Both Lawrence and Beathard are locks for the roster. Behind those two is Luton. He had an excellent performance in the final preseason game against the Cowboys and that may have put him on the radar for other QB needy teams. But if no one snatches Luton up, expect him to land on the Jaguars practice squad.
Running back (4): James Robinson, Carlos Hyde, Dare Ogunbowale, Devine Ozigbo.
Cut: Nathan Cottrell.
Robinson and Hyde are both locks. Ogunbowale gets the nod for his work in the receiving game and as a special teamer. With rookie Travis Etienne out for the year, Ozigbo climbs his way onto the final roster. He had a nice game against the Cowboys. Ozigbo feels like a player that seems to shine whenever he has the opportunity. Injures really robbed him of his chance to contribute last season.
Tight end (3): Chris Manhertz, James O’Shaughnessy, Luke Farrell.
Cut: Ben Ellefson (practice squad), Tyler Davis.
If the Jaguars opt to only keep three tight ends, then there was only one spot truly up for grabs. Fifth-round pick Luke Farrell gets the edge there. Farrell doesn’t offer much in the passing game, but he is a stellar run blocker. Davis has been a project the last two years. While there have been flashes, they were too few and far between to warrant a roster spot. Ellefson gets another year on the practice squad. He is an excellent run blocker and has improved in the passing game but could use another year to continue to refine his game.
Wide receiver (7): DJ Chark Jr., Marvin Jones Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr., Jamal Agnew, Phillip Dorsett II, Collin Johnson, Tavon Austin.
Cut: Laquon Treadwell, Jeff Cotton Jr. (practice squad), Pharoh Cooper, Josh Hammond, Jalen Camp (practice Squad), Tevin Jones, Devin Smith.
Wide receiver is one of the toughest spots to judge on the entire roster. I mean, just look how many names landed on the cut list. After Chark, Jones, Shenault and Agnew, it is up in the air. I gave Dorsett the nod because of his relationship with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. And I gave the final spot to Collin Johnson. If they cut him there is no way Johnson clears waivers to land on the practice squad. The biggest problem with Johnson in that slot is he doesn’t provide anything on special teams.
Another guy that benefits from the injury to Etienne is Austin, albeit, only if he is healthy. Cotton made some nice plays against the Cowboys. I think the practice squad is the most likely landing spot for him. As for rookie Camp, he is a project. Camp has shown some real talent but needs some work. Looks like the staff didn’t give him much run during the preseason to try and hide him so no one snatches off waivers.
Offensive line (9): Cam Robinson, Andrew Norwell, Brandon Linder, Jawaan Taylor, Walker Little, Tyler Shatley, Ben Bartch, Badara Traore, Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms.
Reserve/Covid list: AJ Cann.
Cut: Will Richardson Jr., Austen Pleasants, KC McDermott, Jermaine Eluemunor.
The top six offensive line spots have been locked in since before camp started, the five starters plus Little. That left only three spots open for competition. Shatley and Bartch regained their spots as the top replacements on the interior of the line. For the last spot, I gave Traore the edge. He hasn’t been in Duval for long, but I wanted to add an additional tackle and Richardson showed that he is best suited as a guard. This will be a spot that I expect the Jaguars to pay close attention to players cut around the league to try and improve their depth. Cann is currently on the Covid list, so Wallace-Sims is a keeper for now and likely bound for the practice squad later.
Defense
Defensive line (6): Malcom Brown, Jay Tufele, DaVon Hamilton, Roy Robertson-Harris, Adam Gotsis, Taven Bryan.
Cut: Doug Costin (practice Squad), Daniel Ekuale.
Let’s get right to it. I have Bryan landing on the roster. Bryan missed a ton of time during camp, but he’s able to squeeze on the final 53. I see this more as a home run swing by the coaching staff. Bryan has a much higher upside than either of the guys they are cutting. If after a year with these coaches they don’t see any progress from Bryan, his contract will be up and he will be out of town. Overall, the defensive line group looks a bit small. But consider guys like Dawuane Smoot and Jihad Ward extensions of the D-line. They will play both standing up and with their hand in the dirt.
Edge (5): K’Lavon Chaisson, Dawuane Smoot, Jihad Ward, Jordan Smith, Lerentee McCray.
Reserve/Covid list: Josh Allen.
Cut: Aaron Patrick (Practice squad).
On the edge. I’m not counting Josh Allen against the 53 right now since he is still on the Covid list. With Allen out, Lerentee McCray can slide onto the roster. McCray is a core special teams player who Meyer would love to keep around. The numbers just aren’t playing in his favor. McCray’s stay on the roster will likely only last until Allen is back on the field.
Linebacker (4): Damien Wilson, Myles Jack, Shaquille Quarterman, Chapelle Russell.
Cut: Quincy Williams, Dakota Allen.
Meyer and Baalke send another 2019 draft pick packing. Williams never really had a spot in this defense. He will look to land on a team that runs a 4-3. Quarterman has caught the eye of defensive coordinator Joe Cullen. Quarterman has earned the job as the top backup linebacker and may even have a role on the defense this year. If Russell feels like a name that came out of nowhere and bolted up the depth chart, it’s because he is. Russell was a seventh-round pick by the Bucs last year. He has been solid throughout camp and has some special teams value.
Cornerback (6): Shaquill Griffin, CJ Henderson, Sidney Jones, Tyson Campbell, Tre Herndon, Chris Claybrooks.
Cut: Corey Straughter, Lorenzo Burns.
No surprises at cornerback. The top five are locked in. I expect six to land on the final roster, especially with Herndon dealing with an injury. Right now, Claybrooks gets the nod based on his value as a gunner and backup returner but don’t be surprised if Claybrooks gets the ax and the Jaguars claim a cornerback off the wavier wire.
Safety (4): Rayshawn Jenkins, Andre Cisco, Rudy Ford, Josh Jones.
Cut: Jarrod Wilson, Andrew Wingard, Daniel Thomas (Practice squad), Brandon Rusnak.
Safety may have one of the toughest cuts on the entire roster. Since before camp started, Jenkins, Ford and Cisco have all been locks for the final roster. Ford came in as an impact special teams player and has earned a role as a Dime linebacker. I think the staff needs to go heavy in other places on the roster. That left only one spot for either Jones or Wilson. Jones has run with the starting lineup opposite Jenkins for the majority of camp. I still ultimately believe Cisco will be the Jaguars starting safety but that leaves Wilson as the odd man out at the position. It is a tough cut since Wilson has been a starter for the last two seasons. But unless the Jaguars opt to go lighter at a spot like receiver, he is just a victim of the numbers game.
Special teams (3): Josh Lambo, Logan Cooke, Ross Matiscik.
Special teams are simple. Lambo gave the staff a scare early in preseason but he will be the kicker. I could include guys like Jamal Agnew and Rudy Ford down here since their special teams value locked them into roster spots but for simplicity, I’ll leave them at their normal positions.