The Jacksonville Jaguars cut their roster down to 53 players Tuesday with a flurry of roster moves that included six players getting released and 27 getting sent to waivers.
That doesn’t mean more moves aren’t coming. Jacksonville probably has a few more tweaks to make before the Week 1 opener against the Indianapolis Colts.
But the Jaguars made some interesting decisions to get under the 53-man limit. Here are six takeaways from the team’s initial roster:
9 rookies made the cut
It was surprising when the Jaguars — a playoff team returning 21 of its 22 starters — decided to make 13 picks in the 2023 NFL draft.
The early returns are pretty strong, though.
More than a sixth of the active roster is now comprised of rookies after eight draft picks and one undrafted signee (Elijah Cooks) made the cut.
That total doesn’t include linebacker Ventrell Miller who landed on injured reserve, but does include Cooper Hodges who will likely land on the injured reserve soon.
Still, it’s looking like a strong class for general manager Trent Baalke, as the bevy of young newcomers legitimately earned their spots, beating out veterans all over the depth chart.
7 wide receivers???
Wide receiver was a ridiculously deep group throughout camp and it seemed Parker Washington, Tim Jones, Elijah Cooks, Jacob Harris, Seth Williams, and Kevin Austin Jr. were all battling for a couple spots.
But seven roster spots dedicated to the receiving corps is a surprise.
Keeping Washington, Jones, and Cooks all on the initial 53-man roster is likely the reason the Jaguars made another surprising decision: cutting tight end Gerrit Price.
Last year, Jacksonville kept four tight ends through the 2023 season. This year, the team is set to keep three.
Blake Hance will likely be back
A year ago, the Jaguars cut defensive lineman Adam Gotsis to make room for newly claimed linebacker Caleb Johnson. Three days later, they brought Gotsis back.
It’ll likely be a similar game plan with Hance, who was the last player released by the Jaguars to get under the 53-man limit.
Just a few days ago, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Hance was in line to be the team’s swing tackle in Week 1.
So why cut him at all? Well if the Jaguars cut ties with any player who is in their first four NFL seasons, they’d be subject to the waiver wire.
Hance, a fifth-year player, was the vested veteran the Jaguars could most afford to allow to temporarily reach the free agency market.
K'Lavon Chaisson's still here
The Jaguars said throughout training camp that Chaisson would be the third pass rusher on their depth chart. That’s evidently still the case.
Despite a strong push from Yasir Abdullah and Jordan Smith in preseason, Chaisson is on the 53-man roster and Smith is hitting the waiver wire.
Is the 2020 first-round pick finally due for a breakout season?
Josh Wells is done for the year
Ventrell Miller landing on the injured reserve is no surprise after suffering an Achilles injury. Wells joining him due to a hip injury is a bit unexpected, though.
Just a day before placing Wells on the injured reserve, Pederson said the offensive tackle was “still nursing the injury and week-to-week.”
Players placed on injured reserve after Tuesday can return after missing at least four games. As a player placed on the list before Tuesday cut deadline, Wells is done for the year unless he reaches an injury settlement and is released by the Jaguars.
Cooper Hodges will probably be on IR soon
Last week, Pederson told reporters that it’s “a real possibility heading into the regular season” that Hodges will be placed on the injured reserve. Earlier this week, he said the rookie lineman “is not close yet, so he’s still going to miss some time.”
Now that the seventh-round rookie has made the 53-man roster, the Jaguars can put him on the injured reserve this week and rule him out for at least the first four weeks of the year. That’d free up the Jaguars to bring back the aforementioned Hance.
There’s a chance Jacksonville could also put DaVon Hamilton on the temporary injured reserve too.
