JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s almost decision time for the Jaguars. But first, there’s one final audition.
The Jaguars host their lone game of the preseason Saturday night against the Dolphins, a finale that will provide fans with the most extensive look at the starters of the exhibition season. That means Trevor Lawrence, Calvin Ridley, Travon Walker and Tyson Campbell will go for likely a full half.
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After that comes the opportunity for roster bubble players to prove that they belong in the NFL, either on the Jaguars or another team. Doug Pederson and his staff will be analyzing and breaking down every nuance from every player.
Picking the final 53-man roster: Who we think will be on the roster
“There are a few things you look at. How well they attack the day as far as practice goes. Attentive in meetings. Can they play through a little injury in practice and games? Do they take themselves out because of a little hiccup in their body or something like that? It’s more than just the games, right? We can evaluate that; that’s the easy part,” Pederson said.
“Sometimes, it’s the off-the-field stuff that we look at. Can a player be trusted? At the end of the day, you’re down to 53, 48 on gameday, and you go play. You’ve got to be able to count on those 48 guys, that they’re going to be there on Sunday.”
There are easy roster decisions, the Lawrences and the Ridleys and the Josh Allen’s of the team. Then there are the backups, players like Andrew Wingard and CJ Beathard who are locked in. The real dilemma comes in the numerous questions in the depth categories. Do Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke opt to keep five or six receivers? Three or four tight ends or running backs?
The Jaguars are deeper across the board than they’ve been in years and returned just about every contributor outside of right tackle Jawaan Taylor this year.
“That’s the thing that you can appreciate with where we are, having a roster with the amount of people that came back from last year on both sides of the ball,” Pederson said. “I want to see those other guys play. All those things that you kind of have the luxury as a staff to make those decisions, especially in this last game.”
Who are some of those players fighting for a spot in the finale?
Third string quarterback Nathan Rourke has played very well in the preseason. Could another strong game force Jacksonville to consider keeping three quarterbacks? There’s a logjam at receiver. Rookie receiver Parker Washington is likely to make the team as a backup returner to Jamal Agnew. But what about Elijah Cooks and Jacob Harris, both of whom contribute on special teams and offer height that no other Jaguars wideout does. There are offensive line issues, especially with recent injuries to Cooper Hodges and Josh Wells. Do the Jaguars keep eight, nine or 10 in that unit?
The separator for those final roster spots?
“It gets real fine. It really boils down to special teams. That’s the third element to our team. Again, my message has always been, you may not be the starter on offense or defense, but you’re a starter on special teams,” Pederson said. “You need to embrace that role, especially if you’re a new rookie whether you’re drafted or undrafted. A second-year player, whatever it might be, that’s kind of your niche to make our roster. It gets a little finer, the more depth you have on your team. It does get harder for those guys to break in.”