With the Hall of Fame Game coming up, the Jacksonville Jaguars released their first unofficial depth chart on Monday. More times than not, the coaching staff doesn’t play a part in compiling the preseason depth charts, but instead, they are more of a way for the public relations teams to help inform fans. With that being the case, unofficial depth charts aren’t perfect.
However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be predominately right, or that takeaways can’t be garnered from them. That’s especially the case when you have the offseason the Jags had, which indicates that a good amount of turnover is coming.
So with the Jags’ first game of the season taking place tomorrow, here are some takeaways we have from the first unofficial depth chart of the Doug Pederson era:
The #Jaguars have released an unofficial depth chart for their first preseason game vs. Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/vgIVjQWmXK
— James Johnson (@SportsGrind_Don) August 2, 2022
Takeaways and notes
- Jaguars third round pick, Luke Fortner, has taken all the reps as the starting center, and that carried over to the depth chart. That has allowed veteran Tyler Shatley to be moved over to left guard, though most of his recent starts have been at center. That said, it looks like we’ll at least see Fortner start on Thursday as the Jags are hoping he can replace longtime veteran and team captain Brandon Linder.
- The top receiver positions were listed as expected, with Marvin Jones Jr., Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones listed as the starters. Of course, they will all move around, but fans may not get to see how the top-3 are truly used until later as the staff could mostly look at the players on the depth chart behind them on Thursday.
- While he’s participating in practice on a very limited basis, running back James Robinson is listed as the top running back on the depth chart. This comes after the third-year player is coming off an Achilles tear that happened in December against the New York Jets and has been rehabbing throughout the offseason.
- Continuing at the running back position, second-year player Travis Etienne is listed at the No. 2 role, as expected. He’s been one of the stars of the offseason. However, one interesting thing is that rookie Snoop Conner is listed as the RB3 over Ryquell Armstead. It’s worth noting that he’s had a solid week of camp, though, and he could receive a big opportunity on Thursday to show he’s a good option behind Etienne.
- As expected, Evan Engram is listed as one of the starting tight ends. His usage in training camp has been an indication that he’ll be a big part of the passing game, and if he can be more consistent with his hands, defenses could have a problem with him.
- On the defensive side, the first noteworthy takeaway is that Davon Hamilton is listed as the starting nose tackle, while Foley Fatukasi is listed as a starting defensive end. Many thought it could be the other way around before organized team activities, but both are young players who can keep the linebackers clean. Hamilton has especially had some good moments in camp since the pads have gone on, and his strength has made him an issue for the offensive line in 1-on-1s. That said, it’s not shocking to see him anchoring the line as he could be due for a strong 2022 season.
- As expected, No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker is listed as the starting outside linebacker alongside Josh Allen. Like Fortner and the other rookies, he should see the field Thursday (at least for a little while) and will be one of the top players to watch if he does.
- Rookie interior linebacker Devin Lloyd is also listed as a starter alongside Foyesade Oluokun. Lloyd hasn’t been practicing due to a hamstring injury, though he’s been working on the side. That said, his preseason debut will be on hold for now.
- As expected, there were some notable takeaways in the secondary as safety Andre Cisco is now listed as a starter with Rayshawn Jenkins. That was expected as he’s been practicing with the starters this offseason. Then when it comes to cornerback, free agent signing Darious Leonard is listed as the starting nickelback. When considering the contract they gave him, that was to be expected though he’s missed time in camp with an injury.
