The Jacksonville Jaguars completed their initial roster cutdowns a few hours before the NFL’s 4 p.m. deadline on Tuesday.
While the bottom of the group is expected to change over the next 24 hours, the moves to get the team from 90 to 53 players have given people a better idea of what the 2024 roster could become.
Below are three initial takeaways from the Jaguars’ roster cuts.
Edge rush depth is lacking
The Jaguars made a surprise move Monday by trading offseason acquisition Trevis Gipson to Seattle, leaving the pass rush rotation in an underwhelming state of affairs.
Following the releases of D.J. Coleman and Joe Graziano, the team now has just three true edge rushers: Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker and Myles Cole.
Free-agent signee Arik Armstead is listed as one of four defensive ends on the roster. He will likely see playing time as both a 3-technique and 5-technique to allow defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen to rotate what is expected to be a fairly deep defensive tackle group.
This also helps Walker and Hines-Allen by reducing their respective payloads. Yet, having Cole as the team’s lone depth rusher presents concerns.
It is possible that general manager Trent Baalke is not done with how he addresses the bottom of the Jaguars’ roster, especially the lack of depth at edge rusher. Look for him to scour the waiver wire or free agency to address the room, even if it is just one player.
Wide receiver could be a strength after all
The team kept six wideouts, including Tim Jones and Devin Duvernay, who will occupy significant roles on special teams as a core-four player and return specialist, respectively.
They also provide depth to a room that might pose a question mark or two heading into Week 1 versus Miami, Duvernay specifically, who has 94 career receptions.
Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis and rookie Brian Thomas Jr. are expected to be the three starting wideouts of the group. Davis has had an impressive summer while Thomas continued to stress defenses on vertical planes as he did in college, especially on slot fades, where he dominated with LSU.
Offensive coordinator Press Taylor will look to find ways to generate explosive plays with this trio, paired with tight end Evan Engram. This flashed with some of the Jaguars starters on the field Friday night in Atlanta and could be a sign that Thomas could have a fairly productive rookie campaign, in particular.
Yes, the Jaguars would benefit greatly from having a superstar playmaker for franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. But at this juncture, it looks like the team is confident in the playmakers on the roster.
Ryan Nielsen’s defense could be fun to watch in 2024
Nielsen, who joined Jacksonville from Atlanta in February, is expected to implement an aggressive man coverage base 4-3 system.
This should allow cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and Ronald Darby to play to their strengths while helping the rest of the defense become more opportunistic with takeaways.
During his lone season with the Falcons, Nielsen’s defense forced 18 fumbles, the second-most in the league.
The Jaguars have a group of players on all three levels that can create disruption and takeaways. Campbell, linebacker Devin Lloyd and ball-hawking safety Andre Cisco should come to mind when it comes to this area of expertise.
Nielsen also has a defensive line capable of generating pressure consistently and could force opposing QBs into bad decisions.
This may not be the elite defense that carried the Jaguars to the AFC Championship in 2016 but it is a unit that could be formidable in a division featuring bright and promising signal-callers.
There may be some lingering questions with the depth at edge rusher and a young cornerback room behind Campbell and Darby. Even so, the Jaguars could be competing for the AFC South crown once again should Nielsen’s defense meet expectations.