JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars open the 2023 NFL season at the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium. It has only taken three years for the Jaguars to go from having arguably the worst roster in the league to being a division-winning playoff contender.
Only 14 players remain from the 2020 team that went 1-15, including two full-time starters (left tackle Cam Robinson and outside linebacker Josh Allen) and one part-time starter (defensive lineman Adam Gotsis). General manager Trent Baalke has put in work at the draft (specifically drafting QB Trevor Lawrence after the one-win season), in free agency and in the trade markets to put the Jaguars in position to be a consistent winner for the first time since the late 1990s. Along with second-year coach Doug Pederson, Baalke has put together a roster that will compete again for the AFC South division.
Here is the 53-man projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Beathard
Lawrence should be able to challenge the franchise single-season passing records in yards (4,428) and touchdowns (35) in his second season in Pederson's offense. The team brought Beathard back on a two-year extension.
RUNNING BACK (4): Travis Etienne Jr., D'Ernest Johnson, Tank Bigsby, JaMycal Hasty
Etienne accounted for 1,441 all-purpose yards in 2022, but now there's much better depth behind him. That may mean fewer touches but it also means less wear and tear. Johnson and Bigsby, a 2023 third-round pick, should battle for the No. 2 spot.
WIDE RECEIVER (5): Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Jamal Agnew, Parker Washington
This is the strongest position group on the team, especially if Ridley (acquired via trade with the Falcons last November) plays close to the level he did in 2020 (90 catches for 1,374 yards). Ridley's presence should allow Kirk, who along with Jones set career highs in catches and yards last season, to spend more time in the slot, where he is most effective.
TIGHT END (4): Evan Engram, Luke Farrell, Brenton Strange, Gerrit Prince
The Jaguars used the franchise tag on Engram after he set career highs in receptions (73) and receiving yards (766) last season in Pederson's tight end friendly offense, but he was pretty much the only option as a pass catcher. The team took Strange in the second round in this year's draft and he was one of the more impressive rookies throughout the spring, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Engram's numbers dipped a bit.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Walker Little, Ben Bartch, Luke Fortner, Brandon Scherff, Anton Harrison, Tyler Shatley, Josh Wells, Blake Hance, Cole Van Lanen
Left tackle Cam Robinson isn't listed because he will start the season on the suspended list for four games for violating the league's performance-enhancing substance policy. When he returns the Jaguars could keep Harrison, their No. 27 overall draft pick, at right tackle and move Little to left guard -- or put Little at right tackle if Harrison is struggling. The Jags are hoping Fortner, who played every snap as a rookie, is bigger and stronger coming out of his first NFL offseason.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): DaVon Hamilton, Roy Robertson-Harris, Folorunso Fatukasi, Adam Gotsis, Tyler Lacy, De'Shaan Dixon
Hamilton and Robertson-Harris both got contract extensions in the offseason after playing well down the stretch in 2022. Dawuane Smoot re-signed last week and is likely to begin training camp on the PUP list and it's uncertain when he'll see the field (possibly late October). That gives Dixon a chance to make the initial roster. The Jaguars moved Dixon from linebacker to defensive end in the spring and took Lacy in the fourth round with the plan to play outside against the run and rushing from the inside.
LINEBACKER (9): Josh Allen, Travon Walker, K'Lavon Chaisson, Yasir Abdullah, Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, Chad Muma, Ventrell Miller, Shaquille Quarterman
Chaisson was an off-season standout, partially because he got a lot of work with Allen missing the voluntary workouts and OTAs, but the 2020 No. 20 overall pick has just three sacks in three seasons. Pederson was pleased with Walker's offseason and the Jaguars are going to move him inside more as a rusher. Oluokun, who led the NFL in tackles the last two seasons, wants to make more big plays. Lloyd and Muma having a better understanding of the defense should give Oluokun more chances to do so.
CORNERBACK (6): Tyson Campbell, Darious Williams, Tre Herndon, Gregory Junior, Chris Claybrooks, Erick Hallett II
Campbell has become one of the league's top young corners and a big contract could be coming after the season. There's a good battle at nickel, a role that Herndon held the second part of last season. In addition to Junior and Hallett, Christian Braswell has a shot to unseat Herndon. Hallett also can play outside and at safety and could be used as a big nickel.
SAFETY (5): Rayshawn Jenkins, Andre Cisco, Andrew Wingard, Antonio Johnson, Daniel Thomas
The Jaguars like Johnson's length (he's the tallest DB on the roster at 6-foot-2) and the fifth-round pick should have a significant role on special teams as a rookie with the potential for a bigger role in 2024. The Jaguars are hoping Cisco starts to become the turnover machine he was in college, when he had 13 interceptions in 24 games.
SPECIALISTS (3): Brandon McManus, Logan Cooke, Ross Matiscik
The Jaguars signed McManus in the spring because of his longer range. Only Justin Tucker and Matt Prater have made more 50-yard and longer field goals than McManus' 40 since 2014. Since he entered the league in 2018, Cooke's 43.2 net yards per punt ranks fourth in the NFL and he's had the third-most punts downed inside the 10 (58) over that span.