JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jaguars players and coaches are ready to see someone else. They’re tired of seeing the same faces lined up across from each other. And that’s a good thing.
The Jaguars wrapped up another week of camp in Jacksonville — and the final one in front of fans — on Tuesday afternoon at Miller Electric Center. They’re headed to Detroit for joint practices with Lions on Wednesday and Thursday before a preseason clash on Saturday at 1.
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The joint practices will likely yield more work for the starters than they would see in a preseason game so the next two days will be significant.
“The one thing is that starters are going to compete against starters in the joint practices,” said Jaguars outside linebackers coach Bill Shuey. “In my experience, every time I’ve been involved in a joint practice, you’re going to get the ones on ones for a decent volume.”
Jaguars receiver Jamal Agnew said that joint practices are much needed because it forces players to get out of the repetitiveness of facing teammates every day.
“We’re all excited, just because we’ve been going against each other for two or three weeks now. A lot of the DBs know our moves now,” he said. “... So, it’s refreshing to be able to compete against other people who haven’t seen us every day for two weeks. But it’s definitely important to see where we’re at right now.”
The depth seems to be more robust this year for Jacksonville. On paper, that seems like it will create more challenges for the Jaguars brain trust come cut time. Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell said he approaches the stronger roster differently during camp. Yes, it’s nicer to have more competition, but cuts aren’t necessarily more challenging because the players separate themselves so much.
“It’s really not. We always tell the guys, ‘You make the decision for us.’ Whoever goes out there and plays the best and does what we ask them to do, they end up the guys,” he said. “It’s good competition, and we’ve got a lot of guys to choose from. At the end of the day, the guys that go out there and play consistently, those are the guys that normally win the jobs.”
So, what spots look like they’re the most vulnerable to be poached by a newcomer or two? The most notable camp battle comes in the secondary as second-year player Gregory Junior is pushing incumbent Tre Herndon for the nickel cornerback role. Why is that the marquee head-to-head battle of camp?
According to data from the NFL, teams spent 65% of defensive snaps last year with five defensive backs on the field. Jacksonville is set with corners Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams at those spots. Rayshawn Jenkins and Andre Cisco are locked in at safety. The team has won plenty of games with Herndon at the nickel spot, but it’s the one starting position that could use an upgrade. If Junior doesn’t win the spot outright in camp, he seems positioned to wrest it at some point this year if his strong camp continues.
“He [Junior] came in last year from a small college, and now he belongs. He belonged last year, but he had to get that confidence,” Caldwell said. “You see him out there, he’s more confident. He’s understanding the technique. He’s trusting what he’s doing. He’s working hard, and it’s paying off for him.”