The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Tuesday media availability time was every bit as eventful as expected after the team’s loss to Pittsburgh last weekend, and head coach Doug Pederson didn’t mince words about his view of the looming roster cuts coming next week.
When asked if he and his staff had a good idea of what the opening day team would look like, Pederson answered in the affirmative. He explained that even if many current Jaguars won’t be around after their game against the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday, the opportunity to get their film out to other teams was worth their effort in this last push to make the 53-man roster.
“I think we’ve got a pretty good idea right now,” Pederson said of the coaching staff’s vision of the final roster, “but I told the team this morning, this is going to be a big week for a lot of guys. And, too, they’ve got to understand, not just our team but 31 other teams are watching our roster as well and seeing who’s going to make the 53, who’s not, because there’s going to be a lot of our players get picked up if they’re not here, but it’s a great opportunity for many players, especially the young guys to practice well and play well in this football game because they could end up on a roster. It may not be here, but it could be somewhere.”
The race is officially on to make this Jaguars team and to hear Pederson tell it, his staff is supremely confident in the talent at their disposal. Jacksonville is looking to rebuild its franchise from the ground up. Under the watchful eyes of the elite coaches they have assembled for the 2022 season, it would seem the Jaguars are well on their way back to respectability in the AFC South.
