Biggest position battles entering the final preseason game for the Jaguars

By John O’Leary

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the final stages of building what will be the 2025 Jaguars roster, and while they may have the bulk of their decisions made, Jaguars GM James Gladstone did mention that they are still rounding out the final spots on their roster on The Liam Coen Show this Thursday.

Coen said following the Jags’ joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Thursday that his starters will not be playing in their last preseason game this Saturday. This is likely good news for veteran starters like Arik Armstead, who had missed considerable time in camp due to a back injury and was recently reacclimated to the practice field before heading down to Miami for the joint practice. Newly acquired Jaguars defensive tackle Khalen Saunders should be expected to play a decent amount of snaps with Week 1 of the regular season looming closely behind the completion of this Saturday’s game.

Coen’s decision to rest his starters could also be a sign pointing towards potential indecision in terms of solidifying the final couple of spots on the roster. Which positions have larger question marks surrounding them, and who are the names to keep an eye on this Saturday?

Offensive Line

When the Jaguars opened training camp, the biggest competition was expected to come from rookie guard Wyatt Milum pushing 2024 LG Ezra Cleveland. What we have seen to this point has been Cleveland standing firm in his role and fighting off the eager rookie in Milum. Free agent acquisition guard Patrick Mekari and 2024 RT Anton Harrison have been the ones feeling the most heat from Milum.

Milum is now considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury, according to Coen, and it is improbable that he suits up on Saturday.

Veteran free agent signings, Fred Johnson and Chuma Edoga, have created waves during Coen’s juggling and rearranging of the five offensive linemen taking snaps. Johnson, Edoga, Milum, and the recent emergence of expected backup center Jonah Monheim have led to the roles being thrown into a blender during the final days of training camp.

The ultimate plan of getting the best five offensive linemen on the field may be a fluid exercise before Week 1 for the Jaguars, but the alignments we see against the Dolphins will shed light on what Coen and Gladstone think about their options.

Wide Receiver

There aren’t questions surrounding the top of the wide receiver depth chart, like there are for the offensive line room. Brian Thomas Jr is the bona fide #1 wide receiver, and then Travis Hunter, Dyami Brown, and Parker Washington fill out the top four spots. Last year in Tampa Bay, Coen helped lead an offense that kept five receivers on the roster entering the season.

Free agent signing Trenton Irwin has been leading the conversation in terms of that fifth spot. Still, that spot is being pushed by the undrafted free agent signings of Eli Pancol and Dorian Singer, as well as 2024 free agent Austin Trammell.

While Trammell and Irwin may be the ultimate point of discussion for the final wide receiver spot on this Jaguar roster in Week 1, Pancol and Singer have both shown flashes that could land them one of the 16 practice squad spots here in Jacksonville.

If the Jaguars do have an injury situation later in the year, Trammell, Pancol, and Singer could serve as good filler wide receivers.

Linebackers

When the Jaguars went into the 2025 offseason, the conversation surrounding LB Devin Lloyd was one of the loudest. The former first-round pick was viewed as a potential trade candidate for the incoming Gladstone regime to work with, and with the addition of fourth-round pick Jack Kiser, the competition has certainly heated up during camp.

Kiser has performed well during the preseason. Kiser has also played significantly more snaps this preseason than Lloyd, with 83 snaps compared to the 26 snaps seen by Lloyd. Now, while this could be just seen as a rookie playing significant snaps to give a veteran rest, the Jaguars have already shown what they think of the cards dealt with Devin Lloyd when they declined to pick up his 5th-year option this offseason.

The big tell will be who takes the field against Miami. Coen’s decision not to have starters play will be a huge looking glass into what the team thinks of Devin Lloyd and the grip he holds on the position. Will Lloyd’s play during camp and in the preseason be enough to hold off Kiser, or has the rookie played his way into a starting role in 2025?

The Jaguars have to complete their 53-man roster by August 26th.

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