The Jacksonville Jaguars 53-man roster is finalized, and the roster looks as strong as ever heading into the third season of the Doug Pederson era. With strong position groups all across the roster, the Jaguars are primed for a strong 2024 season.
The 2024 Jacksonville Jaguars 53-Man Roster
Jaguars Quarterbacks
Trevor Lawrence and Mac Jones are the Jaguars quarterbacks for the 2024 season. After trading for Jones in the offseason, he emerged as the top backup over C.J. Beathard, who the Jaguars released with an injury settlement. Jones put together an awe-inspiring day in the preseason week two matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lawrence and Jones are two first-round picks from the 2021 draft class, and there is plenty to like heading into the 2024 season as the Jaguars look to make it back to the postseason led by a strong quarterback group.
Jaguars Running Backs
The running back position didn’t change in the offseason, and things will remain the same at the start of the 2024 season. Fourth-year running back Travis Etienne Jr., also from the 2021 first round, leads the backfield as the Jaguars do-it-all running back. Spelling him are second-year running back Tank Bigsby, and veteran D’Ernest Johnson. With Etienne leading the way, and Tank Bigsby improving in the preseason heading into year two, the Jaguars backfield is looking primed for another good season.
Jaguars Wide Receivers
The Jaguars wide receiver room is one of the deepest in the NFL, with Christian Kirk, Gabe Davis, and Brian Thomas Jr. leading the group. Kirk and Davis are veterans, with different skill sets. Their abilities mesh well, and adding Thomas into the mix, the starting wide receiver trio is set up for success with Trevor Lawrence in 2024.
Alongside the starting three wide receivers, the Jaguars also kept special teams aces Tim Jones and Parker Washington. Washington will have a returner role carved out for himself, and Tim Jones will contribute on special teams like he has his first two seasons in the league. Rounding out the wide receiver position is Devin Duvernay, a gadget weapon for the Jaguars to utilize, similar to Jamal Agnew from the past few seasons.
Jaguars Tight Ends
Evan Engram leads the tight end group and will be set up for another season with Trevor Lawrence, where he’s found a career resurgence. In the third preseason game, Engram and Lawrence had a robust connection in the dominating performance against the Atlanta Falcons. Luke Farrell and Brenton Strange are the two backup tight ends, with Farrell getting the majority of the reps in two tight end sets. The tight-end group didn’t change from 2023, and with how well it functioned in 2023, there wasn’t any reason to make any adjustments.
Jaguars Offensive Line
Coming in with 10 players on the Jaguars 53-man roster, the offensive line is the highest player count allocated to one position group on the roster. Cam Robinson at left tackle, Ezra Cleveland at left guard, Mitch Morse at center, Brandon Scherff at right guard, and Anton Harrison at right tackle make up the starters along the offensive line. A much more cohesive unit compared to 2023, with Robinson and Cleveland being locked into the lineup from game one. Harrison is heading into year two, and Morse is a dramatic improvement at center over Luke Fortner, who also made the Jaguars roster as the backup center.
The other backups along the offensive line are Cooper Hodges, Walker Little, Cole Van Lanen, and Javon Foster. The Jaguars offensive line has solid depth, with Walker Little being one of the best backup offensive linemen across the NFL. Overall, the offensive line has improved compared to 2023 in both its starters and its depth.
Jaguars Defensive Ends
Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, and Arik Armstead make up an incredible trio among the Jaguars defensive ends. Rookie Myles Cole made the roster thanks to a strong preseason and is depth behind the big three defensive ends. Hines-Allen, Walker, and Armstead are some of the better players at the defensive end position across the NFL, and all of them in one room make this position group the strongest group that the Jaguars roster presents. Armstead should provide a veteran presence along the defensive line, no matter where he lines up. Walker has been gradually improving every season, and heading into his third year he is primed for a breakout campaign. Hines-Allen may have a new name, but he is still the same dominant player he was in 2023.
Jaguars Defensive Tackles
The Jaguars’ defensive tackles are a mixture of young promising talent, and veteran presences to sure up the defensive front. DaVon Hamilton and Roy Robertson-Harris are the two main defensive tackles, as they enter their fifth and eighth seasons respectively. As depth, Jeremiah Ledbetter provides familiarity for the Jaguars’ defense, as the rest of the position is full of young talent. Esezi Otomewo is coming into 2024 as a Jaguar thanks to a scorching hot preseason, and he’s joined by Tyler Lacy, and rookies Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson. A combination of youth and veterans make up an improved defensive front for the Jaguars heading into 2024.
Jaguars Linebackers
If the Jaguars’ defensive ends weren’t as good as they were, the linebackers might be the deepest part of the roster. Foye Oluokun returns as the Jaguars weak-side linebacker, while third-year linebacker Devin Lloyd is set up to play the middle linebacker role. The linebacker rooms across the NFL aren’t nearly as strong as the Jaguars, and the depth is also a strength. Chad Muma, Yasir Abdullah, Ventrell Miller, and Caleb Johnson round out the linebackers for the Jaguars. All of the linebackers are fairly young, with the only linebacker who’s been in the NFL for over four seasons being Oluokun. The linebackers in Jacksonville are strong and should be amongst the league’s best in 2024.
Jaguars Cornerbacks
The cornerback group featured some of the greatest preseason and training camp battles the Jaguars saw in 2024. With Tyson Campbell being the only guaranteed starter, and Ronald Darby being the other perimeter corner, the Jaguars had plenty of opportunities up for grabs. Rookies Jarrian Jones and De’Antre Prince both made the Jaguar’s initial 53-man roster, along with Montaric Brown.
In the flurry of moves to cut down to the 53-man roster limit, the Jaguars released cornerbacks Christian Braswell, Erick Hallett II, Tre Flowers, and Amani Oruwariye. But with the practice squad spots available, both Braswell and Flowers returned to Jacksonville.
Jaguars Safeties
With Andre Cisco and Darnell Savage having the two starting roles locked down, and Antonio Johnson and Daniel Thomas having solidified roles, the roster crunch made any further additions to the group challenging. But, Cisco and Savage are two very good safeties, and Johnson is a great sophomore who has a chance to take the next step and become a staple of the Jaguars’ defense like he began to do at the end of the 2023 season.
Jaguars Specialists
All-Pro and Pro Bowl long snapper Ross Matiscik, veteran punter Logan Cooke, and rookie kicker Cam Little round out both the specialists and the Jaguars 53-man roster. Matiscik has been one of the best long snappers in the NFL in recent years, and rookie kicker Little had a strong preseason and training camp. Cooke has been a good punter for Jacksonville and completes the Jaguars 53-man roster.
Practice Squad and Final Roster Observations
After the flurry of cuts on Tuesday, the Jaguars had multiple players return to the practice squad just a day later. Braswell and Flowers were two of the headliners, but the other additions will help the Jaguars heading into the 2024 season. Wide receivers Joshua Cephus, Austin Trammell, and Elijah Cooks make up the three wide receivers added to the practice squad. Shawn Bowman and Josiah Deguara are the two tight ends on the practice squad. Quarterback E.J. Perry is the only quarterback on the Jaguars practice squad, and Steven Jones is the only offensive lineman on the practice squad. Safety Terrell Edmunds, defensive ends D.J. Coleman and Joe Gaziano, linebacker Tanner Muse, and running back Jalen Jackson round out the Jaguars’ initial practice squad for 2024.
Overall, the Jaguars’ roster enters 2024 significantly stronger than it was in 2023. The Jaguars improved across the entire roster, on both offense and defense. Jacksonville had multiple position battles at key positions, with the corners being deep, and the wide receiver room being as strong as it’s been since the days of Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns. A deep roster, with very few holes, makes for a strong outlook for 2024 in Jacksonville.
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