Grading Every Position Group Ahead of Jaguars’ 2026 Season
While the Jacksonville Jaguars had a quiet offseason, some shakeups may impact the ceiling and projected success of certain position groups heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
After three preseason contests and weeks of training camp, confidence in some units has hit a major high, while others still have question marks as the season inches closer.
Quarterbacks: B+
It’s long been known that the Jaguars found their guy in Trevor Lawrence, and after coming off a standout season for the 26-year-old that saw him rank fifth in NFL MVP votes, there is simply no reason for confidence to dwindle.
However, the grade is lowered simply because the Jaguars have no proven backups. The Jaguars acquired former Dolphins backup Quinn Ewers to slot in behind Lawrence, sending former backup Nick Mullens to the practice squad as the designated emergency quarterback. Ewers played four games for the Dolphins last season, throwing for 622 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions while sporting a passer rating of 85.5.
Running backs: B
The biggest blow of the offseason for the Jaguars was to the backfield. Jacksonville lost starting running back Travis Etienne Jr. to free agency, and the hole he left will be tough to fill.
The Jaguars have a solid trio in the backfield in returners Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. and newcomer Chris Rodriguez Jr., who will combine to fill in the gap, but none of them alone replace the proven presence that Etienne brought to the squad. Tuten, though, has had a standout training camp, specifically shining in a joint practice with the Carolina Panthers.
Simply because of the lack of proven players and the toll it takes on any team to lose a group’s best player, the running back unit will sit in ‘B’ range. However, Lawrence said at training camp he believes it is “a really well-rounded room.”
Wide Receivers: A
Heading into the season, the Jaguars clearly have a top-10 wide receiver unit.
Their three top receivers – Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. – ranked in the NFL’s top 50 in receiving yards in 2025, and Jacksonville was the only team to have three receivers on the list.
Washington had his career-best season by far in his third year, and after coming to the Jaguars in November of last season, Meyers immediately proved to be a crucial addition.
Meanwhile, Thomas dipped after his standout rookie season due in part to injuries, posting 48 receptions for 707 yards in 14 games. This was a significant dip from 2024, when he logged 87 receptions for 1,282 yards, and was a finalist for the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Year awards. If Thomas can get back to his 2025 production level, the unit could easily become a top five force in the NFL, and his performance in training camp so far suggests a rebound for him is on the horizon.
Furthermore, with Travis Hunter also a strong, eligible receiver despite transitioning to cornerback full time, the group leaves very little to be desired.
Tight ends: B+
Before the start of training camp, for the tight ends unit, it seemed to be solely Brenton Strange keeping it from being one of the most concerning groups.
Strange comes off a career year, quickly emerging as a top-four option for Lawrence with 60 targets and 46 receptions for 540 yards and three touchdowns. However, it is no longer just him giving a reason for confidence. Behind him, the unit seemed initially unproven, but training camp quickly tossed those immense concerns out the window.
The Jaguars’ second-round pick Nate Boerkircher and fifth-rounder Tanner Koziol have shined as second-and third-string options for Jacksonville, and will end up being large pieces of the puzzle as the team figures out how much there is to this group behind its star. The two have been big, physical presences, and confidence seems high for the duo even in their first training camp.
“The exciting thing is seeing how those guys embrace those challenges because they both really attack it head-on,” offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said. “It’s not easy to go out there and be a rookie and operate whether you’re in a circumstance that’s set up for success or a circumstance that’s set up for a challenging block or a challenging route or a challenging look. But regardless of what those guys have had thrown at them, they’ve attacked it with full effort.”
Offensive Line: B
The offensive line stands as one of the most unchanged units on the Jaguars’ squad, making it relatively easy to gauge where it falls among the rankings.
It is far from a bad unit and has plenty of talent, but it does lack a standout or something to propel it above a relatively middle-of-the-pack line. The most interesting piece this season will be how third-round pick Emmanuel Pregnon emerges as a potential impact player as a starting rookie.
The offensive line will look for something or someone to give it a little extra push this season as it battles injuries throughout the group.
Edge Rushers: A-
The elite starting duo of Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen is enough to make the lack of depth not pull as much weight in the unit’s grade.
Walker and Hines-Allen are an impressive pair and two of the top defenders on the team. Bleacher Report ranked the tandem fifth in the NFL’s top EDGE duos, and they should provide plenty of confidence at the position.
Behind them, Danny Striggow and B.J. Green II enter just their second seasons in the NFL, combining for 31 total tackles (12 solo) and 2.5 sacks in their rookie campaigns.
Interior Defensive Line: B-
The interior defensive line group is one of the more questionable ones of the bunch.
The unit absorbed much of the blame for the Jaguars’ struggling pass rush last season, which is the reason for the low grade. However, there are some offseason additions that suggest improvement. Similar to the offensive line, it does lack a true driving player, but it could still prove to be a strong unit.
Veteran Arik Armstead and DaVon Hamilton will take the starting spots, and recent additions Ruke Orhorhoro and Albert Regis will bolster the position as backups. The mix of veterans and young talent could be the perfect combination, but the lack of super high-profile players in the group as of now justifies some concern.
Cornerbacks: A
While multiple position groups for the Jaguars have run into the issue of not having depth behind their go-to guy, the cornerback unit is not having the same problem.
Travis Hunter is a lock for a starting cornerback spot, and he is surely the biggest reason for optimism when it comes to the unit. Proven players like Montaric Brown and Jourdan Lewis will likely also take on starting roles, and there is not much reason for concern there.
Even behind three strong starters, players like Jarrian Jones eliminate the question of sufficient depth for the group.
“There’s a lot of accountability in that room,” defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said of the secondary as a whole. “That’s coming together in terms of who’s going to do what. But we really feel like the whole collective group can give us a lot out there.”
Safeties: B
The loss of long-time staple Andrew Wingard to free agency immediately knocks the safety unit down a few pegs. His veteran presence will undoubtedly be missed, and with him logging the second-most tackles on last year’s squad, there is somewhat of a cause for concern.
However, the strong duo of Antonio Johnson and Eric Murray keeps the group from falling too far. The two are proven players who have experience carrying a decent chunk of the workload for the team.
Behind them, there is not much proven depth, but players like youngster Rayuan Lane III could certainly emerge to strengthen the unit.
Linebackers: C-
Similar to the running back group, the front seven also lost a crucial piece of last season’s success to free agency. With Devin Lloyd gone, Foyesade Oluokun is just about the only remaining proven linebacker.
While that’s not to say the talent behind him can’t emerge and make this a strong group, there isn’t enough evidence of depth to make this a unit to be overly confident in heading into the season. Notably, Ventrell Miller and Branson Combs will be called upon to have a dominant season and fill the space left by Lloyd as the two options for the second starting linebacker spot.
Veteran Dennis Gardeck is slotted to fill the third starting linebacker role.
Special Teams: A
There are simply no question marks and no concern with Jacksonville’s special teams unit. It has immense potential to be one of the best in the NFL, as it has been since special teams coordinator Heath Farwell took the reins.
Although kicker Cam Little enters just his third year in the NFL, he comes off a remarkable season. He broke an NFL record, hitting a 68-yard field goal against the Las Vegas Raiders, the longest in the history of the league. He also ranked eighth in the league in field goals made (30), hitting 88.2% of his attempts.
Little is far from the only reason for confidence, however, as the Jaguars have Pro Bowlers making up the rest of Farwell’s unit. Ross Matiscik is the highest-paid long snapper in the NFL and will be dependable for Jacksonville, along with punter Logan Cooke, who ranked ninth in the league in average yards (48.0).
Category: Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
