Once the Jacksonville Jaguars named their initial 53-man roster Saturday many fans predicted that it would be the youngest in the NFL — and those fans weren’t wrong.
In the calculations done by Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice Sports, the Jags registered an average age of 24.9, good for first when looking at all 32 teams. The team that came in at a close second was the Miami Dolphins who acquired an average of 25 of the dot.
Last season the Jags’ average was 25.6, which was good for eighth in the league. However, they lost several key veterans over the age of 28 this season when they traded quarterback Nick Foles (31), defensive lineman Calais Campbell (34), and cornerback A.J. Bouye (29). They also released receiver Marqise Lee (28) and nose tackle Marcell Dareus (30).
With no roster changes since Saturday, the Jags have 16 rookies on their roster, 12 of whom were selected in April’s draft. The other four were undrafted rookies in cornerback Luq Barcoo, defensive tackle Doug Costin, long snapper Ross Matiscik, and running back James Robinson.
Despite the Jags’ youth movement, general manager Dave Caldwell and Doug Marrone clearly have been high on the group as the Jags head into a crucial season for both personnel members. Caldwell once again expressed his faith in the roster Saturday and warned people not to count the group out until we see what they can do in the regular season.
“I love this team,” Caldwell said. “I love the energy this team brings. I love some of the veteran leadership we brought in with Joe Schobert [and] Tyler Eifert. We’re not that young on offense. You have a guy like Chris Conley. The offensive line has all played a lot of games together. Keelan Cole, Dede Westbrook, we have guys. DJ Chark Jr. So, don’t count this team out yet and I think they’ll tell you the same thing.”
As for the rest of the AFC South, the Indianapolis Colts (27.7) registered the tenth youngest roster while the Houston Texans (26.1) were No. 21 and the Tennessee Titans (26.5) were No. 28. Only time will tell how much these averages will effect each other, but many national pundits believe the Jags will be last in the division and could possibly land the No. 1 overall pick for 2021.