JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars open the 2026 NFL regular season against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 13 at EverBank Stadium. But first, they play one more preseason game (Friday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and then must cut their roster to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Who will make the team? Which positions have tough decisions on deck? And where might the lineup be deepest and thinnest this season?
The offensive line and linebacker unit have been battered by injuries this summer, but few are expected to linger long enough to impact the start of the regular season. Receiver and defensive line are two of the team's strongest position groups, especially with the emergence of one young pass rusher. While there are still a few things to figure out, there aren't expected to be any surprise releases by the Jaguars.
Here is our projection for the 53-man roster for the Jaguars.
Quarterbacks (2)
Mullens is in the final year of his contract. Carter Bradley, son of former head coach Gus Bradley, likely heads to practice squad and might get a chance to compete to be Lawrence's backup in 2027.
Running backs (3)
Chris Rodriguez Jr., Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen Jr.
Allen is dealing with a soft tissue injury and will miss the rest of camp, but there's no indication at this point that he's going to begin the season on injured reserve. If that does become the case, undrafted rookie J'Mari Taylor (who ran for 78 yards and a TD in the first preseason game) or veteran Ameer Abdullah could take his spot.
Tight ends (3)
Brenton Strange, Nate Boerkircher, Tanner Koziol
Boerkircher (second round) and Koziol (fifth round) are both 2026 draft picks, so this will be a group short on experience behind Strange. The Jaguars love Boerkircher as a blocker, and using him in 12 personnel could open things up in the pass game for Strange.
Wide receivers (5)
Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., Josh Cameron, CJ Williams
This is arguably the best position group on the roster, especially when you add Travis Hunter to the mix. If the Jaguars no longer want Washington returning punts, the job will go to Cameron. And Thomas is healthy (he dealt with wrist, ankle and shoulder injuries in 2025), improved his hand strength and is more physical than he was in his first two seasons.
Offensive linemen (10)
Cole Van Lanen, Ezra Cleveland, Robert Hainsey, Patrick Mekari, Anton Harrison, Jonah Monheim, Wyatt Milum, Walker Little, Emmanuel Pregnon, Chuma Edoga
This is a banged-up group. Mekari had back surgery, and the Jaguars have not yet made a decision on whether he'll start the season on IR. Little, Pregnon and Edoga also have dealt with injuries in camp. Van Lanen (knee) just came off the physically unable to preform list. That's why the Jaguars have cross-trained almost everyone but Hainsey (center), and there could be as many as four players starting in different spots than expected in Week 1.
Defensive linemen (11)
Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, B.J. Green II, Danny Striggow, Wesley Williams, Zach Durfee, DaVon Hamilton, Arik Armstead, Matt Dickerson, Albert Regis, Ruke Orhorhoro
Green, an undrafted rookie in 2025, is having a great camp and has ascended to the No. 3 pass rusher role behind Hines-Allen and Walker. Dickerson is the top interior backup behind Hamilton and Armstead. There are a lot of new faces: Williams, Durfee and Regis are draft picks, and Orhorhoro was acquired in an offseason trade with Atlanta.
Linebackers (6)
Foyesade Oluokun, Dennis Gardeck, Branson Combs, Ventrell Miller, Yasir Abdullah, Jahlani Tavai
Combs and Miller have been battling at strongside linebacker. Injuries have battered this group, too, which led the team to bring in eight-year veteran Tavai on Aug. 6. Abdullah played only two snaps on defense last season, but he is a good special teams player.
Cornerbacks (5)
Travis Hunter, Montaric Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Jarrian Jones, Jabbar Muhammad
Hunter is the team's top corner and will primarily play defense, but he will also have a role on offense. Jones has lined up inside and outside and likely will take Hunter's spot outside if he's not on the field. Coach Liam Coen called Muhammad one of the team's most improved players, and he broke up a pass in the end zone to secure the Jaguars' preseason victory over New Orleans.
Safeties (5)
Eric Murray, Antonio Johnson, Caleb Ransaw, Rayuan Lane III, Jalen Huskey
Murray is a steady veteran leader who is still a good player at 32 years old. Johnson went from a part-time player at the start of last season to one of the defense's most important players. Ransaw missed his rookie season with a foot injury, and that impacted his transition from corner to safety. Huskey, a sixth-round pick, has flashed and might end up as the third safety.
Special teams (3)
Cam Little (K), Logan Cooke (P), Ross Matiscik (LS)
The only question about this group is whether Little will get a chance to break the NFL record for longest field goal (68 yards), which he set last season against Las Vegas.