The Jacksonville Jaguars open the 2022 NFL regular season at the Washington Commanders on Sept. 11 at FedEx Field.
The pieces are in place for quarterback Trevor Lawrence to make a jump in his second season with the additions of receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram, as well as getting running back Travis Etienne Jr. back to go along with James Robinson. That may not be an elite group of playmakers, but it's a significant upgrade from what Lawrence had as a rookie. Kirk has been impressive in camp and the preseason -- it would be a surprise if he didn't surpass 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career: He was targeted eight times and caught five passes for 54 yards in just one half of action.
The offense should be markedly better because of those additions as well as the presence of head coach Doug Pederson, who turned Carson Wentz into an MVP candidate and won a Super Bowl with Nick Foles.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Beathard
Lawrence is visibly more comfortable and confident. Beathard is still dealing with the effects of a groin injury he suffered in the spring, and the Jaguars could opt to keep a third QB (likely Jake Luton) for a few weeks if they're not satisfied with that progress.
RUNNING BACK (4): Travis Etienne Jr., James Robinson, Snoop Conner, Mekhi Sargent
Robinson is expected to be fully cleared from his Achilles injury for the season opener, but don't expect him to have a normal workload right away. That means Etienne will be RB1 until that happens, but even after Robinson returns Etienne will be heavily featured in the offense. Connor, a fifth-round rookie, had a solid camp and can be an effective inside runner.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Marvin Jones Jr., Jamal Agnew, Tim Jones, Laviska Shenault Jr.
The first four guys are obvious locks and Laquon Treadwell, Shenault, Jones, and Jeff Cotton Jr. were battling for the final two spots. The Jaguars tried to find a role for Shenault and worked him as a punt returner, but that didn't go too well in the preseason. There are things he does well -- he's a strong runner and he's effective in receiver screens running through defensive backs -- so it's still too early to give up on the 2020 second-round pick. Jones just kept making plays, especially in the final preseason game.
TIGHT END (4): Evan Engram, Dan Arnold, Chris Manhertz, Luke Farrell
Pederson has said multiple times he really likes the tight end room. It's a good mix of pass-catchers that can be moved around (Engram and Arnold) and in-line players (Manhertz and Farrell). The one concern has been Engram's drops in camp. He leads all tight ends in drops (23) since he entered the league in 2017, but he's still going to be one of the focal points of the offense.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Cam Robinson, Ben Bartch, Luke Fortner, Brandon Scherff, Jawaan Taylor, Walker Little, Tyler Shatley, Badara Traore, Cole Van Lanen
The Taylor and Walker battle at right tackle likely will go another week before there's a declared winner. The Jaguars like Traore a lot, and there's no guarantee they could get him on the practice squad so keeping him makes sense -- especially since the expectation is that Taylor won't be here next year and the Jaguars need another tackle. The team traded for Van Lanen on Aug. 24, so he's definitely making the roster. Will Richardson Jr., the team's fourth-round pick in 2018, is the notable cut.
DEFENSIVE LINE (7): Arden Key, Folorunso Fatukasi, Roy Robertson-Harris, Dawuane Smoot, DaVon Hamilton, Adam Gotsis, Jay Tufele
The Key signing didn't get major attention in March, but he's been one of the most impressive players in camp and will significantly bolster a pass rush that has been pretty pedestrian the past two seasons. Fatukasi was signed to anchor the run defense and the play of Smoot and Tufele in camp allowed the team to release Malcom Brown. Smoot can play multiple spots and has 17.5 sacks in the last three seasons.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (4): Josh Allen, Travon Walker, K'Lavon Chaisson, Jamir Jones
Walker has been disruptive despite being raw as a pass-rusher, and he's been good against the run, too. Allen needs to have a big year -- he's had 10 sacks in his last 24 games after having 10.5 as a rookie and making the Pro Bowl. Chaisson hasn't made any splash plays in camp, but he has been solid and easily makes the team. The final spot is between Jones and Da'Shaan Dixon.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (4): Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, Chad Muma, Shaquille Quarterman
No one is sure what to expect out of Lloyd because he hasn't been able to fully practice after suffering a hamstring injury the day before camp began, which has allowed Muma to get valuable reps with the first team. The hope is Lloyd returns for the opener, but it'll take him a while to get up to speed. Quarterman is a special teams stalwart.
CORNERBACK (6): Shaquill Griffin, Tyson Campbell, Darious Williams, Chris Claybrooks, Tre Herndon, Montaric Brown
The first five spots were easy to pick. Brown makes it over Xavier Crawford, Benjie Franklin and Gregory Junior, but expect to see at least one of those three back on the practice squad. Williams (shoulder) was cleared fully last week and will be the nickel. Campbell has been the most impressive defensive player in camp.
SAFETY (4): Andre Cisco, Rayshawn Jenkins, Andrew Wingard, Rudy Ford
Another easy top three. Ford makes it over Josh Thompson, Brandon Rusnak and Daniel Thomas because of his play on special teams. Wingard will be a key part of special teams, too.
SPECIALISTS (3): Logan Cooke, Ross Matiscik, James McCourt
The team claimed McCourt off waivers on Aug. 24 and the rookie makes the initial cut, but expect the Jaguars to continue to work out kickers in the early part of the season.